Native Bee Monitoring -- Season's First Trap Check

Nicole Morin strains and refills the multi-colored bowl traps used to capture native bees. 

Bees and other insects captured in bowl traps are strained
and stored in plastic bags with tags until they can be identified later.

Although it is mid-March, we captured lots of invertebrates in the bowl traps.

We checked the Native Bee Monitoring Traps for the first time this season.  We captured few animals that were easily recognizable as bee species but many of the other insects will have to be left for the experts at Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to key out.  Tracy Zarrillo and Kimberly Stoner are leading this project for this state.  We are on our way to inventorying and establishing a base-line for long term monitoring for this vital group of organisms for the property.  If you are interested in helping with this project please notify James Fischer, WMCC Research Director.

Native Bee Monitoring Initiated

Tracy Zarrillo (CT Ag. Exp. Station) and Jared Franklin
install traps to inventory and monitor native bees.

Tracy Zarrillo and Dr. Kimberly Stoner (CT Agricultural Experiment Station) are monitoring native bee populations throughout the state.  Bees are a very important group of insects because of their role in native ecosystems and agriculture.  The traps used for collecting bees are quite simple but effective.  They consist of plastic cups that are painted different colors (Blue, Yellow, and White) with fluid to capture the bees that investigate the cup.  The color of the cups attract the bees.  

Bees are attracted to variety of colors, this cup is painted yellow and captures bees that investigate it .

The cups are checked weekly and the specimens are sent to CAES for identification.  This data will help us inventory the species associated that inhabit the property and monitor any changes within the population. 

Only 2 hours later, a bee was observed in a white trap!