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procedures

colored bowl traps

field

Setting The Traps

  1. Before going outside, fill six jars with a solution of water and a small squirt of Blue Dawn soap. Shake the jar to mix it.

  2. Find 2 locations that  are in sunny areas and have lots of flowers

  3. Set 5 different colored bowls in one of your chosen locations, making sure that the bowls are spread out at least one foot apart (they should not be touching one another)

  4. Add a small amount of honey to the center of all 5 of the bowls

  5. Fill the bowl half way with the blue soap mixture.

  6. Remove the bubbles from the surface, and place a “Do Not Disturb Label” next to the bowls.

  7. Take an EpiCollect of the location you’re at with ASM SU18 Colored Bowls

  8. Fill out a Colored Bowl Data Sheet after one hour has passed by

  9. Repeat steps 2-5 for your second location.

Collecting the Bowls

  1. After waiting at least one hour, collect your bowl traps.

  2. For each colored bowl use tweezers to pick up your insects and transfer them to the small jars.

  3. Fill  each jar  ¾ of the way with alcohol.

  4. Label each jar as follows:

FN:

Bowl Color:

Date:

Time Set:

Time Col:

Col By:

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capturing pollinators by hand

  1. Use Petri dishes for any visible pollinators that you would like to capture

  2. The pollinator must be on a flower or at least nearby the flower if you want to capture them.

  3. Once you capture it, take an epicollect with the ASM SU18 Pollinators

    1. Where it asks, “Collection or Observation?” Write Collection

  4. Tape the petri dish shut with tape and label the petri dish on the tape using a sharpie, with its field number, who it was collected by and the color of the flower it was found on

lab

Identifying Captured Pollinators

  1. If the pollinator was caught by hand, place the specimen in the freezer and wait a day before proceeding.

  2. Remove captured pollinators from the jar/petri dish they were contained in.

  3. Move the specimen to a petri dish

  4. Add a thin layer of 91% isopropyl alcohol to the petri dish using a pipette

  5. If necessary, observe the specimen under a microscope.

  6. Use field guides to identify the specimen.

  7. Write a label:

FRONT:

FN:

Color of Bowl/Flower:

Date Sorted:

Date Col:

Time Col:

Col By:

BACK:

Contents (this is where you list the type of specimen it is, or write unknown if you don’t know):_____

 

  1. Place the specimen, along with its label, in an appropriately sized vial filled with 91% isopropyl alcohol

  2. Color code the cap of the vial with a paint marker, according to the color flower/bowl it was found in.

pollinator count survey

Data Sheet: Pollinator Count Data Sheet

  1. During the hour you are waiting to collect your colored bowl traps, go around and choose a flower to observe.

  2. Once you choose a flower take a quick epiCollect of it with ASM SU18 Pollinators.

    1. Take a picture of the flower in the Photo of Flower entry.

    2. Where it asks, “Collection or Observation?” Write Observation.

    3. Identify the flower in Specimen Type. If the flower type is unknown write Unknown Flower

  3. Fill out the Pollinator count data sheet while at that flower. You should mark a tally for any time an insect lands on a flower.

  4. Observe that flower for approximately 5 minutes.

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