Technical Abstract: Bowl and pan traps are now commonly used to capture and survey bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) for research. To increase the efficiency of this technique, studies of how arrangement and spacing of traps affects captures of bees are needed. We present results from seven studies of traps placed in trapping webs, grids, and transects in four North American ecoregions (Mid-Atlantic, Coastal California, Chihuahuan Desert, and Columbia Plateau). Over 6000 specimens from 31 bee genera were captured from all studies. Using trapping webs and distance tests, we found the per bowl capture rate of bees did not decline until distances between bowls became less than three-to-five meters. Minor clumping of bees within transects was detected, with 26 of 56 transects having Index of Dispersion values that conformed to a clumped distribution and 39 transects having positive Green’s Index values. Nevertheless, degree of clumping was slight, averaging only 0.06 (the index ranges from -1 to 1) with only five values greater than 0.15. Similarly, runs tests were significant for only 5.9% of the transects. Results indicate that interbowl distances within transects can remain relatively short without affecting capture rates and that the moderate values of clumping of captures within transects indicates that it would be wise to disperse bowls and transects throughout a study site.