Pollinators

Transect monitoring of pollinators

Walk a 30m transect for 10mins recording pollinators (bumble bees, honey bees, solitary bees & hoverflies) in a 2 x 2m corridor around you.

Also record:

  • Temperature
  • Sunshine
  • Wind
  • Flower resource

Cost

No direct cost but there is a time requirement.

 When to use

Throughout the spring & summer when pollinators are active.

Time Requirement

Each transect takes 10 mins to complete. Ideally they are repeated monthly throughout the spring, summer and early autumn and data recorded in a spreadsheet.

What will it tell me?

Changes in pollinator numbers according to year, weather floral resource etc.

Farmer Pros

Good to be aware of what pollinators you have.

Start to learn some ID, like the differences between bees and hoverflies.

Farmer Cons

Time consuming.

ID can be really difficult especially between different solitary bees but it is not essential and just recording broad groups is enough.

How to access

Video & data collecting sheet can be found below.

Resources

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Agrisound acoustic bee monitor

An acoustic monitor (15 x 10 x 25cm) is mounted on a post to record the sound of bees in different habitats (ideally at the same height as flowering plants).

The recordings are automatically uploaded to a cloud and reports issued when required. Recommended to locate 3/4 monitors together.

Cost

£200 per smart listening unit and a £5/month data subscription.

Contact agrisound to discuss requirements: hello@agrisound.io.

 When to use

Throughout the spring & summer when bees are active.

Time Requirement

Bee activity in the vicinity of the monitor and if the habitat is relatively consistent these counts can be scaled up.

What will it tell me?

Destructive sample of flying invertebrate community. Records presence/absence of species but some measurement of abundance is possible.

Farmer Pros

Really easy just need to put monitors out.

Results print out simple to understand.

Farmer Cons

Only records bumble and honey bees at the moment so does not include hoverflies or other flies or solitary bees.

How to access

www.agrisound.io

Water traps & eDNA metabarcoding

Plastic pan traps containing water and a squeeze of washing up liquid are located in flower rich habitat, at the height of the vegetation.

The traps are yellow which attracts insects which drown in the water.  The liquid from the trap is then filtered through a paper filter and the contents sent for eDNA testing.

Cost

Plastic pan traps – £20/trap.

For testing, price on application – contact sales@fera.co.uk.

 When to use

Throughout spring and summer when insects are active.

Time Requirement

Set up pan traps for 5/6 days then filter contents and send for testing.

What will it tell me?

Destructive sample of flying invertebrate community. Records presence/absence of species but some measurement of abundance is possible.

Farmer Pros

This test can be used to give an indication of which pest predators are active. Especially useful if trying to move away from using insecticides and you want to identify specialist predators like parasitic wasps. More relevant in a long term monitoring program.

Farmer Cons

Bit fiddly collecting up samples. They need to be stored in the freezer until they are sent to FERA. You need to go to the post office to send parcel or organise a pick up.

The results can take some time to come and are costly.

How to access

Contact: laura.rigo@fera.co.uk

Monitoring Tools
Soils
Mammals & Birds