A review of diversity of bees, the attractiveness of host plants and the effects of landscape variables on bees in urban gardens

Abstract

Abstract Background The world's growing population and growing need for food have increased attention to urban agriculture around the world. Most crops grown in urban environments need bees for pollination. However, little is known about bee populations in urban areas and little attention has been paid to the function of these pollinators in cities. Therefore, studying the ecology of pollinating bees in urban gardens and green roofs contributes greatly to urban agriculture. In this study, the results of 87 articles related to the presence of bees in gardens and urban farms were summarized in three general sections. The first part deals with issues, such as the diversity of bees in urban gardens, dominant species in these areas, their nesting type, origin, specialty, and sociality. The second part examines the attractiveness of host plants in urban gardens and farms and their origin for bees. The third section examines the effects of landscape and local variables effects on the presence of bees in urban farms and gardens. Results Our data showed that urban environments, especially urban gardens, contain a high diversity of bees, which honeybees and bumblebees are the most dominant species in these environments. The results of the second part showed that native plants were more attractive to bees than non-native plants. In the third section, most studies have shown the negative role of urbanization on the presence of bees. On the other hand, many studies have shown that the presence of green spaces or other farms and gardens around the studied gardens have a positive effect on the presence of pollinators. Conclusion Urban environments have a high diversity of plants and bees that provides a good opportunity to increase agricultural production in these environments. Planting native plants and creating artificial nests for solitary bees and bumblebees can help attract more bees to urban environments. Converting lawns into floral resources or carrying out agricultural activities around green spaces can also effectively help to increase agricultural production in the city.

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Urban gardens
• Green roofs
• Bees
• Pollination