Survey of bumblebees in central Alberta - 2018

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During 2018, Alberta Environment and Parks conducted an inventory of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) in central Alberta, Canada with focus on the Parkland Natural Region of the province. The majority (>99%) of 8808 bumble bees were collected in blue vane traps deployed 3-4 times over the summer at 31 distinct locations. Also included are records from a smaller number of hand-collected bees that were opportunistically sampled at 12 sites during work on field projects during the summer.

Blue vane traps were installed at 31 locations in central Alberta, Canada. Twenty-six sites were located in, or immediately adjacent to, the Parkland Natural Region, two in the Grassland Natural Region, and three in the Boreal Forest Natural Region. Each trap was erected for approximately two weeks within each summer month (May-August). Traps were usually situated where a variety of habitat types (forest, grass, water, agricultural) were located in close proximity (<1 km), and usually on lands designated for habitat preservation (parks, natural areas, private conservation properties). The mean trapping duration over the summer at each site was (1275.2 hours; range 696-2547), and the mean number of bumble bees collected at each site was 281.5 (range: 20-900) individuals. A total of 8726 individuals of 22 species were collected. We also hand-collected bumblebees at 12 sites in Alberta during 2018, and include here records of 82 bees of 11 species. All bumble bees collected during the study are housed at the University of Calgary Zoology Museum, along with as-yet unidentified by-catch (non-Bombus) from the blue vane traps. We thank Ducks Unlimited Canada, Alberta Environment and Parks, the University of Calgary, the Alberta Conservation Association, and several dedicated volunteers for assistance with this project.

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