![]() ![]() ![]() While managed honey bee ( Apis mellifera L.) hives are used in much of the world, availability of these hives is limited in many regions. Approximately 78 to 94% of flowering plants, and most major agricultural crops, are pollinated by animals, with bees being the predominant pollinating taxon. The total value of pollination services worldwide has been estimated at $217 billion. It is hoped that this paper will provide entomologists and crop protection specialists with a useful overview of sampling methods available and will encourage awareness and further research and conservation of these important arthropods. I then review the major sampling and monitoring methods employed to assess these organisms, and the advantages and limitations of these methods. In this paper I present a brief overview of these beneficial arthropods and their importance, and some general concerns in regard to sampling and monitoring of these organisms. Some may provide absolute estimates of abundance (density, or numbers per unit area), but most provide relative estimates that are related to the sampling method being used (e.g., numbers per trap per day, numbers per hour of aerial netting, etc.). A variety of sampling methods is available, but these methods can be biased and vary widely in performance. For bees and natural enemies of insect pests, the ability to effectively assess and monitor their abundance and diversity, and potential effects of land use practices on them, is of vital importance. Likewise, agroecosystems are often unfavorable environments for arthropod natural enemies of agricultural pests, but efforts such as habitat enhancement to conserve these natural enemies can provide important control of these pests. Such adverse effects can be mitigated if undisturbed pollinator habitat is available. Intensive agriculture can negatively affect bee diversity and pollination, and there is evidence of causal connections between decline of pollinators and decline of plants to which they are functionally linked. Land use practices can have adverse effects on these beneficial arthropods. The annual combined value of pollination services by non- Apis bees and pest control provided by insect predators and parasitoids has been estimated at $7.5 billion annually in the USA. These arthropod-mediated ecosystem services (AMES) increase agroecosystem productivity and sustainability by enhancing crop yields and reducing reliance on pesticides. Beneficial arthropods, such as pollinators of crops and natural enemies of arthropod pests and weeds, play important roles in the economic and ecological success of agroecosystems. Agroecosystems include agricultural activities plus living and nonliving components that interact with these activities in a variety of ways. To sustainably use the Earth’s resources for our benefit, it is essential that we understand the ecology of human-altered systems and the organisms that inhabit them. ![]()
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