Meeting Abstract
Bees are key pollinators, but many populations and species are declining. Monitoring bee health and pollination are priorities to safeguard pollinators and secure their services. Pan trapping is a popular method to survey bees, but efficacy assessments of this method are limited. Little is known about effect of bycatch, which increases processing time and costs, and may affect beneficial arthropods. We tested the hypothesis that large traps increase abundance, diversity, species richness, and body size of bees, and bycatch abundance. Field studies were conducted in 3 habitats in Lesvos, Greece: a semi-natural phrygana scrub, an olive grove, and a salt flat. Arthropods were collected from transects of 4 sizes of traps (1.0, 3.25, 5.0, 12.0 Oz). 13,155 arthropods were collected, of which bees accounted for 37.2% and 109 species. Pairwise comparisons indicated that 5.0 and 12.0 Oz traps captured a larger bycatch. 3.25 Oz traps yielded the same abundance, species, diversity, and body size of bees; there was also no correlation between trap size and these variables. Larger traps (5.0, 12.0 Oz) caught significantly more bycatch. Results suggest that 3.25 Oz traps are an optimal size for pollinator surveys; catching the same abundance, species, diversity, and sizes of target arthropods, while minimizing bycatch. This trap size is less likely to tip over or evaporate as quickly as 1.0 Oz traps, and uses fewer resources than larger traps, making it more sustainable. Our findings suggest a practical and reliable means for conservationists to monitor pollinator populations and assess their ecological role.
