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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Pollinating Insect-Biology, Management, Systematics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #119904
Title: SAMPLING BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APIFORMES) FOR POLLINATOR COMMUNITY STUDIES: PITFALLS OF PAN-TRAPPING

Author
item Cane, James
item MINCKLEY, ROBERT - UNIV OF UTAH DPT BIOLOGY
item KERVIN, LINDA - UTAH ST UNIV DPT BIOLOGY

Submitted to: Journal of Kansas Entomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2001
Publication Date: 7/1/2000
Citation: Cane, J.H., Minckley, R.L., Kervin, L.J. 2000. Sampling bees (hymenoptera: apiformes) for pollinator community studies: pitfalls of pan-trapping. Journal of Kansas Entomological Society. 73(4):225-231

Interpretive Summary: An unbiased, convenient, passive means of reliably sampling native pollinator faunas is desirable for both agricultural and conservation research and monitoring. One method, pan-trapping, has been uncritically applied. We compared the method to traditional net sampling and found that it was ineffective and biased, and discuss the conexts that may have been responsible for the discrepancy.

Technical Abstract: With growing interest in pollinator conservation, a need has emerged for a simple, unbiased method to reliably sample local bee faunas. One passive method, pan-trapping, has increased in popularity without critical evaluation of its efficacy and biases. We compared traditional net collecting at flowers and pan-trapping concurrently, sampling the local bee fauna of the dominant desert shrub, creosote bush. The pan samples were depauperate and lacking in the abundant floral specialists. The likely causes of this disparity and the utility of pan-trapping for bees in faunal and community studies is discussed.