This project will lead to new knowledge about the importance of bees to soybean yield in the Midwestern US, as well as an improved understanding of the extent of soybean floral resource usage by bees. Specifically, by the end of this project we will: 1) Know under what types of landscapes (simple vs diverse) do soybeans best attract bees, 2) Have quantitative estimates of yield increase due to pollination by wild and managed bees, 3) Know the extent managed honey bees utilize soybean floral resources, and whether this depends on landscape type (simple vs diverse), and 4) Assess the nutritional quality of soybean honey and pollen for honey bees to understand bee health impacts.

Deliverables: This project will result in at least 4 peer-reviewed publications (one from each of the main experiments). We will endeavor to publish in well-respected journals such as Journal of Economic Entomology, Apidologie, Journal of Apicultural Research, Journal of Insect Physiology, and others. The project will result in presentations at national entomology conferences to disseminate our results to the scientific community. In addition, it will result in presentations to USB, to encourage the application of this knowledge by soybean growers. These results will allow farmers to make informed decisions about the efficient use and placement of managed bee colonies in different landscape types, to increase soybean yield.