IF IMPROVING POLLINATOR HABITAT IN AGROECOSYSTEMS IS CONSIDERED CRITICAL TO POLLINATOR CONSERVATION, IT IS IMPERATIVE WE BETTER UNDERSTAND THE FULL SCOPE OF THREATS EXPERIENCED BY POLLINATORS IN THESE CONSERVATION HABITATS AND IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS TO HELP REDUCE THESE THREATS. THIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED SOURCE OF PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION FOR CONSERVATION PLANTINGS AND THE POLLINATORS THEY ATTRACT: SOILS. MICROBIAL DIVERISTY AND SOIL CONDITIONS ARE CRITICAL TO BOTH THE DEGRADATION OF MANY CONTAMINANTS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PLANT DIVERSITY; THUS SOILS MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMPROVING THE CONSERVATION VALUE OF PLANTINGS IN AGROECOSYSTEMS. USING A MULTI-LEVEL APPROACH, WE EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF NEONICOTINOID CONTAMINATION IN SOILS ON BEES AND WHETHER PLANT-SOIL-MICROBE INTERACTIONS CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE THE CONSERVATION VALUE OF CONSERVATION PLANTINGS. ALTHOUGH MOST BEES ARE GROUND NESTING LITTLE WORK HAS TESTED EFFECTS OF ANY NEONICOTINOIDS ON THEM OR CONSIDEREDTHE EFFECTS OF NEONICOTINOIDS IN SOILS ON GROUND-NESTING BEES.