BEES PROVIDE ESSENTIAL POLLINATION SERVICES TO NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF THE CROPS GROWN GLOBALLY, INCLUDINGMANY OFTHE MOST PROFITABLE AND NUTRIENT-RICH FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND NUTS.ALTHOUGH HONEYBEES HAVE PREVIOUSLY MET THE MAJORITY OF THE DEMAND FOR AGRICULTURAL POLLINATION, DECLINING HONEYBEE POPULATIONS,ALONG WITH INCREASING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR POLLINATOR-DEPENDENT CROPS, HAVE UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF WILD (I.E., NON-HONEYBEE)BEE SPECIES AS CROP POLLINATORS.HOWEVER, THEPOTENTIAL FOR WILDBEES TO SUPPLEMENT THE POLLINATION SERVICES PROVIDED TO CROPS BY HONEYBEES COULD BE PARTLY NEGATED BY INSECTICIDES USED TO SUPPRESS INSECT PESTS. SUCH NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF INSECTICIDES ON WILD BEES MAY ALSO IMPACT WILD PLANTS NEAR AGRICULTURAL FIELDS, ASNEARLY 90% OF WILD PLANTS RELY ON WILD POLLINATORS TO REPRODUCE. YET, WE CURRENTLY LACK INFORMATION ON HOW INSECTICIDES IMPACT WILDBEES IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES, AND THUS ARE UNABLE TO EFFECTIVELY ASSESS THE RISKS AND CONSEQUENCES OF INSECTICIDES FORWILDBEES.GIVEN THIS, THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF INSECTICIDES FOR WILD BEES THAT LIVE IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES.TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL, WE WILL FOCUS ON HOW SOIL THAT BECOMES CONTAMINATED WITH INSECTICIDES MAY BE AFFECTING WILD BEE SPECIES THAT NEST UNDERGROUND OR USE SOIL TO CONSTRUCT THEIR NESTS. ALTHOUGH THE RISKS OF INSECTICIDE-CONTAMINATED SOIL FOR WILD BEES HAS RECEIVED VERY LITTLE RESEARCH ATTENTION, THIS ISSUE IS VERY RELEVANT TO WILD BEES, AS OVER 70% OF THE NEARLY 4000 SPECIES OF WILD BEES IN NORTH AMERICA CONTACT SOIL IN SOME WAY WHILE THEY NEST. OUR PROJECT WILL CONSIST OF TWO PARTS, AND WILL BE AIMED AT UNDERSTANDING THE LETHAL AND NON-LETHAL EFFECTSOF INSECTICIDE CONTAMINATED SOIL THAT MAY OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF A WILD BEE, FROM EGG TO ADULT. PART ONE OF THE STUDY WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE LABORATORY, WHERE WE WILL REAR LIVEBEE EGGS ININSECTICIDE-CONTAMINATED SOIL. THIS PART OF THE STUDY WILL BE DESIGNED TO SIMULATE A NATURAL NESTING PROCESS THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN INSECTICIDE-CONTAMINATED SOIL ON OR NEAR A FARM. WHILE THESE BEES DEVELOP IN THE LAB, WE WILL MONITOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH. IN PART TWO OF THE STUDY, WE WILL PLACE ADULT BEES THAT SURVIVE THE LAB-REARING PROCESS IN LARGE CAGES THAT CONTAIN FLOWERS AND NESTING HABITAT. IN THESE CAGES WE WILL MONITOR HOW THE BEES INTERACT WITH PLANTS AND HOW SUCCESSFULLY THEY REPRODUCE. PART TWO OF THE STUDY WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW THE NON-LETHAL EFFECTS OF INSECTICIDE CONTAMINATED SOIL MAY AFFECT ADULT BEES AFTER THEY LEAVE THEIR NESTS, AS WELL AS HOW POLLINATION SERVICES PROVIDED TO PLANTS MAY BE AFFECTED.BY PRODUCING PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW INSECTICIDE-CONTAMINATED SOIL MAY AFFECT WILD BEES THAT CONTACT SOIL DURING THEIR NESTING PROCESS,OUR WORK WILL HELPINFORM MORE ROBUST INSECTICIDE RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR WILD BEES. SUCH ASSESSMENTSWILL HELP GUIDE POLICIES AND DECISIONS MADE BY GROWERS THAT CAN MORE EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE RELIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE POLLINATION INCROPS AND WILD PLANTS. OUR ULTIMATEHOPE IS THAT OUR WORK WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE RESPONSIBLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BALANCE AMONGECOLOGICAL HEALTH, GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY, ANDECONOMICVIABILITY THAT MUST BE STRUCK AS WE CONTINUE TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND FOR GLOBAL NUTRITION.