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P-IE

Student Competition 10-Minute Paper

Grad 10-min: P-IE, Pollinators 2

Guidance on using emergence traps to study ground-nesting bees

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Presenting Author(s)

Julia Brokaw

University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Co-Author(s)

ZP

Zach Portman

University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
DC

Daniel Cariveau

University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota

There is an enormous gap in our knowledge of ground-nesting bee nesting preferences and better documentation of their nests is urgently needed to assess the efficacy of conservation efforts. Studying native bee nesting is challenging as it is difficult to find nests. Over the past decade, researchers have increasingly used emergence traps to assess nesting preferences of ground-nesting bees in various habitats. While emergence traps are valuable, they have many limitations. They are expensive, have low catch-rates, and lack a well-tested, standardized sampling protocol. This makes comparisons of nesting preferences among studies, habitats and regions difficult. Additionally, interpretation of specimens collected from emergence traps needs to better incorporate the natural history and behavioral traits of various bee groups. Based on our experience using emergence traps over the past few years, we will share guidance for using this methodology including trap design, sampling duration and data interpretation. Our work documents and compares catch rates from different trap designs and habitats, offers design ideas for cheaper alternatives to commercial traps and approaches to field sampling techniques. Importantly, our work provides a framework for how to use the age, sex, and natural history of specimens to differentiate actively nesting bees from bees emerging from the previous year or incidental captures. Given the rise in use of emergence traps, there is a need for optimized and coordinated efforts to improve our ability to understand bee nesting behavior.