Survey Of Bees Research Articles

The health of managed and wild-living Western honey bee colonies, Apis mellifera, on Guam

A survey conducted as part of the National Honey Bee Survey from 2013 to 2020 quantified the managed honey bee hives on Guam, sampled accessible wild-living colonies, and described associated diseases and pests. During this period the number of managed bee colonies increased from 20 to 121 which was associated with the formation of the Guam Beekeepers Association. Managed Apis mellifera colonies on Guam had significantly fewer parasites and diseases than reported in the USA. The Varroa mite, Varroa destructor, was detected in 2014 in a wild-living colony in southern Guam. The greater banded hornet, Vespa tropica, was first observed on Guam in 2016, with honey bee depredations observed in 2017. Nosema ceranae was initially detected in wild-living and managed colonies in 2013 and has been consistently observed since that time with little apparent effect on colony health as there have been no recorded colony losses in apiaries. No small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, Tropilaelaps mite, Tropilaelaps spp, American foulbrood, Paenibacillus larvae, European foulbrood, Melissococcus plutonius, chalkbrood, Ascosphaera sp. and 11 additional viral diseases of the 22 known to infest honey bees, including deformed wing virus, were observed.

The loss of forest gaps, changes of vegetation and wild bee communities from 1975 to 2020 – increasing numbers of endangered wild bee species despite negative habitat trends in the Danube valley

This study investigated how structural changes of a historical traditionally used forest landscape in Central Europe have affected traits of vegetation and wild bee communities. We compared the extent of gaps in the forest using aerial photographs between 1945 and 2020. And we found historic vegetation and bee surveys from 1975 and 1990, which we repeated in 2010 and 2020. We characterised the vegetation of the closed forest, the forest gaps and the small-scale meadows adjacent to the forest as well as the wild bee community by traits and investigated trait changes with Kruskal-Wallis tests. By NMDS we characterised sample plots and transect walks of timepoints with traits and species. Area of forest gaps decreased by 88% from 1945 to 2020 and by 74% from 1975 to 2020. In the traits of vegetation, Ellenberg Indicator Values (EIV) for moisture and soil nutrients significantly increased in closed forest, forest gaps and meadows adjacent to forest. The EIVs for light and temperature, and the number of red list species decreased. The number of wild bee species that specialise in visiting flowers with long tubes and hylophilic species declined. The number of eremophilic species, species with longer phenologies, and recently Red list species increased. In the NMDS figure of forest gaps and of adjacent meadows, different species and traits characterised more recent and older sample plots of vegetation and confirm the results of the Kruskal Wallis tests. Wild bee communities of 2010 and 2020 were characterised by frequent species, while those of 1975 and 1990 were not characterised by any species. The traits characterised the wild bee communities of the older and younger transect walks in accordance with the results of the Kruskal Wallis tests. In addition, oligolectic bees characterised the older transect walks. The loss of forest gaps represents a direct loss of habitat for many plant and wild bee species. In addition, the qualitative changes in vegetation indicate a deterioration in habitat quality for plants of open forests and wild bees. Among wild bees, specialists were negatively affected by the changes described. These developments were reflected in the initial downward trend in Red List bee species. The increase in bee species with longer phenology, in eremophilic species, the decrease in hylophilic species, and the recent increase in red-listed species can indicate climate change. Therefore, this study underlines the importance of the preservation and development of ecologically valuable forest gaps, particularly in historical traditionally used forests with a typical species composition.

Seasonal bee communities vary in their responses to resources at local and landscape scales: implication for land managers

ContextThere is great interest in land management practices for pollinators; however, a quantitative comparison of landscape and local effects on bee communities is necessary to determine if adding small habitat patches can increase bee abundance or species richness. The value of increasing floral abundance at a site is undoubtedly influenced by the phenology and magnitude of floral resources in the landscape, but due to the complexity of measuring landscape-scale resources, these factors have been understudied.ObjectivesTo address this knowledge gap, we quantified the relative importance of local versus landscape scale resources for bee communities, identified the most important metrics of local and landscape quality, and evaluated how these relationships vary with season.MethodsWe studied season-specific relationships between local and landscape quality and wild-bee communities at 33 sites in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA. We paired site surveys of wild bees, plants, and soil characteristics with a multi-dimensional assessment of landscape composition, configuration, insecticide toxic load, and a spatio-temporal evaluation of floral resources at local and landscape scales.ResultsWe found that the most relevant spatial scale and landscape factor varied by season. Early-season bee communities responded primarily to landscape resources, including the presence of flowering trees and wetland habitats. In contrast, mid to late-season bee communities were more influenced by local conditions, though bee diversity was negatively impacted when sites were embedded in highly agricultural landscapes. Soil composition had complex impacts on bee communities, and likely reflects effects on plant community flowering.ConclusionsEarly-season bees can be supported by adding flowering trees and wetlands, while mid to late-season bees can be supported by local addition of summer and fall flowering plants. Sites embedded in landscapes with a greater proportion of natural areas will host a greater bee species diversity.

DNA barcoding insufficiently identifies European wild bees (Hymenoptera, Anthophila) due to undefined species diversity, genus-specific barcoding gaps and database errors.

Recent declines in insect abundances, especially populations of wild pollinators, pose a threat to many natural and agricultural ecosystems. Traditional species monitoring relies on morphological character identification and is inadequate for efficient and standardized surveys. DNA barcoding has become a standard approach for molecular identification of organisms, aiming to overcome the shortcomings of traditional biodiversity monitoring. However, its efficacy depends on the completeness of reference databases. Large DNA barcoding efforts are (almost entirely) lacking in many European countries and such patchy data limit Europe-wide analyses of precisely how to apply DNA barcoding in wild bee identification. Here, we advance towards an effective molecular identification of European wild bees. We conducted a high-effort survey of wild bees at the junction of central and southern Europe and DNA barcoded all collected morphospecies. For global analyses, we complemented our DNA barcode dataset with all relevant European species and conducted global analyses of species delimitation, general and genus-specific barcoding gaps and examined the error rate in DNA data repositories. We found that (i) a sixth of all specimens from Slovenia could not be reliably identified, (ii) species delimitation methods show numerous systematic discrepancies, (iii) there is no general barcoding gap across all bees and (iv) the barcoding gap is genus specific, but only after curating for errors in DNA data repositories. Intense sampling and barcoding efforts in underrepresented regions and strict curation of DNA barcode repositories are needed to enhance the use of DNA barcoding for the identification of wild bees.

The Bee Communities of Young Living Lavender Farm, Mona, Utah, USA

It is now widely recognized that bees are among the most important pollinators worldwide, yet the bee faunas of many regions and habitats remain inadequately documented. The Great Basin Desert in North America is thought to host some of the richest bee communities in the world, as indicated by several studies documenting diverse bee faunas in the region’s natural habitats. However, limited attention has been given to the bee communities present on agricultural lands within the Great Basin Desert. Here, we describe a rich bee community housed at the Young Living Lavender Farm in Juab County, Utah, near the eastern edge of the Great Basin Desert. Our survey of bees on this farm identified 68 bee species across 22 genera. This represents 34% of the bee species known from the county, including 34 new county records. Among the numerous flower species cultivated at the farm, we found that lavender supported the richest bee community, with 32 species collected from cultivated lavender fields. While lavender is frequently recommended for homeowners to plant in support of pollinators, our study is among the first to provide a list of bee species that visit lavender in western North America. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that agricultural lands, particularly those implementing pollinator-friendly farming practices, can support rich bee communities in the Great Basin Desert.

Effects of study design parameters on estimates of bee abundance and richness in agroecosystems: a meta-analysis.

Pollinators are critical for agricultural production and food security, leading to many ongoing surveys of pollinators (especially bees) in crop and adjacent landscapes. These surveys have become increasingly important to better understand the community of potential pollinators, quantify relative insect abundance, and secure crop ecosystem services. However, as some bee populations are declining, there is a need to align and improve bee survey efforts, so that they can best meet research and conservation goals, particularly in light of the logistical and financial constraints of conducting such studies. Here, we mined the existing literature on bee surveys in or around agricultural lands to better understand how sampling methods can be optimized to maximize estimates of 2 key measures of bee communities (abundance and richness). After reviewing 72 papers spanning 20 yr of publication, we found that study duration, number of sites, sampling time, and sampling method most significantly influenced abundance, while the number of trips per year and collection method significantly influenced richness. Our analysis helps to derive thresholds, priorities, and recommendations that can be applied to future studies describing bee communities in agroecosystems.

Prevalence and distribution of Varroa destructor and Nosema spp. in symptomatic honey bee colonies across the USA from 2015 to 2022

USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory received symptomatic honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) samples across the United States for disease diagnosis. Here, we present a retrospective study and cartography of ectoparasite Varroa destructor and intracellular microsporidia parasite Nosema spp. These two major parasites were identified in the diseased honey bee samples between 2015 and 2022. Varroa infestation level (VIL) was examined by a wash technique (Mites/100 bees) and calculated as a percentage, while Nosema infection was quantified by microscopical spore count (Million Spores/Bee). Data were analyzed by month, year, state, and by nine geographical climate regions described in the U.S. Of adult bee samples (n = 4039) that were analyzed for Varroa mite infestation, the overall VIL in the U.S. ranged between 0.4 and 30.85%, with an overall national VIL and Varroa prevalence of 8.21% and 85.14%, respectively. Overall monthly data showed VIL constantly exceeded the critical level of 4% except from June to September and reached a maximum of 15% in January and December. Nationwide, VIL significantly (p < 0.001) increased from 2015 to 2018 (1.1–4.7%), plateaued from 2018 to 2021 (4.7–4.5%), followed by a significant decrease in 2022 (3.6%). Significant VIL differences (p < 0.001) were recorded among climate regions, with the highest mite infestation levels in the Upper Midwest region (13.9%) and the lowest in the West region (5.1%). Of adult bee samples (n = 2,994) that were analyzed for Nosema infection, Nosema spore count ranged between (1–16.8) million spores per bee among states, with a national average of 6.8 and a prevalence of 99.7%. The lowest and highest Nosema loads were respectively recorded in the South region (3.1) and Upper Midwest (10.5), a significant difference (p < 0.001). No statistical differences were recorded among the six other climate regions. Overall, VIL and Nosema infection correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with a regression coefficient of (R2 = 0.6). Our data, which originated from ailing bee colonies, showed significantly higher rates of maladies compared to data from healthy colonies obtained by the USDA-APHIS National Honey Bee Survey, demonstrating the role of bee diseases caused by Varroa mite and Nosema in honey bee population declines.

Comparison of Flight Periods of Solitary and Primitively Eusocial Bees in Urban Environments and Nature Conservation Areas: a Preliminary Report

Solitary and primitively eusocial bees, an important group of pollinators, have declined in the past few decades. In view of the recent focus on safeguarding pollinating insects, it is vital to understand the basic ecology of species for their conservation, for example their phenologies. We observed the flight periods of solitary and primitively eusocial bees in both the urban core of a large British town and nearby nature conservation areas. The bee surveys were conducted with standardised methods, on warm sunny days from the first appearance of bees in March 2012 and continued until October 2012. This study confirmed that a high number of species are active in the spring season. The emergence dates of species in urban areas and nature sites varied; about 26 of the 35 species were recorded at least one week earlier in urban areas; in contrast, only four species were seen earlier in nature conservation sites. When comparing this with the expected flight periods recorded (largely in nature sites) in the literature, many species were recorded at their expected time. However, a few individuals were recorded after their usual flight activity time, suggesting that the populations were possibly affected by the microclimate in urban areas. More urban phenological data are needed to understand the phenological trends in bees in urban habitats.

Determining Minnesota bee species' distributions and phenologies with the help of participatory science.

The Minnesota Bee Atlas project contributed new information about bee distributions, phenologies, and community structure by mobilizing participatory science volunteers to document bees statewide. Volunteers submitted iNaturalist (©2016 California Academy of Sciences) photograph observations, monitored nest-traps for tunnel-nesting bees, and conducted roadside observational bumble bee surveys. By pairing research scientists and participatory science volunteers, we overcame geographic and temporal challenges to document the presence, phenologies, and abundances of species. Minnesota Bee Atlas project observations included new state records for Megachile inimica, Megachile frugalis, Megachile sculpturalis, Osmia georgica, Stelis permaculata, and Bombus nevadensis, nesting phenology for 17 species, a new documentation of bivoltinism for Megachile relativa in Minnesota, and over 500 observations of the endangered species Bombus affinis. We also expanded known ranges for 16 bee species compared with specimens available from the University of Minnesota (UMN) Insect Collection. Surveys with standardized effort across the state found ecological province associations for six tunnel-nesting species and lower bumble bee abundance in the Prairie Parkland ecological province than the Laurentian Mixed Forest or Eastern Broadleaf Forest ecological provinces, indicating potential benefit of a focus on bumble bee habitat management in the Prairie Parkland. Landcover analysis found associations for four tunnel-nesting species, as well as a possible association of B. affinis with developed areas. These data can inform management decisions affecting pollinator conservation and recovery of endangered species. By engaging over 2,500 project volunteers and other iNaturalist users, we also promoted conservation action for pollinators through our educational programs and interactions.

Wild bee surveys across 60 years reveal remarkable reduction of bee abundance in urban green areas in northern Japan

AbstractLong‐term monitoring of wild bee communities at fixed locations using a consistent sampling procedure has been rare, although declines in their diversity and abundance due to anthropogenic impacts are a major concern. At two sites in urban green areas in Sapporo city, northern Japan, where wild bee surveys were conducted in 1959, 1979, 1989, 2018, and 2019, the number of individuals of bee genera was recorded. Patterns of seasonal changes in bee abundance collected at weekly censuses differed between 1979–1989 and 2018–2019. The total bee abundance collected in annual surveys consisting of standardized censuses demonstrated 50% and 41% declines at the two sites from 1959–1989 to 2018–2019. Among the 16 genera found in the surveys, 3 abundant genera, Andrena, Lasioglossum, and Ceratina, always exhibited lower abundance in 2018–2019 than in 1959–1989 at both sites. The remarkable declines in wild bee abundance should be examined in relation to various possible factors of anthropogenic impacts.

Local influence of floral resource attributes on urban bumble bee foraging activity

IntroductionUrbanization diminishes the extent of uncompacted, exposed soil and the coverage of wild plant species, yet still supports diverse pollinator communities when their habitat is maintained within the built environment. Floral abundance and richness are known to influence bee foraging behavior, and these factors vary across the landscape, especially across heterogeneous urban extents. This study assesses how floral resources are distributed across the city of Madison, WI and how these factors influence the distribution of foraging bumble bees.MethodsWe conducted a systematic walking transect survey of bumble bees across Madison, WI. The resulting point location data associated with more than 5,000 non-lethally surveyed bumble bees were analyzed with regard to floral resource explanatory variables as well as underlying land use zoning on more than 700 transects. We used Moran's I correlograms to investigate spatial autocorrelation in floral resource variables and bumble bee counts, then we fitted a generalized linear model predicting transect bee counts based on floral cover, density, species richness and wild plant species richness on the distribution of foraging bees. We employed a geographically-weighted regression model to explore non-stationarity in the effects of floral resource explanatory variables across the study extent.ResultsWe found significant positive influence of flower cover, species richness, and weakly significant positive influence of wildflower species richness on foraging bee counts within the model as well as a significant positive influence of the land use zoning categorical variable. The effects of floral resource predictors on foraging bumble bees varies based on landscape context across the city.DiscussionThe results of this study show that landscapes with high cover as well as floral diversity maximize bumble bee foraging, and the positive effect of wildflower species richness stands out where floral cover and overall richness are also present. Given that urban landscapes are not homogeneous and that floral resources are not consistently distributed across the cityscape, valuable pollinator habitat should be protected, and supplemented where gaps persist.

Survey of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in Flowering Soybean and Sunflower Fields in North Dakota

Survey of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in Flowering Soybean and Sunflower Fields in North Dakota

Increasing sampling efficiency of Bombus communities with rare and endangered species by optimizing detection probabilities: A multi-species occupancy modelling approach using roadsides as a case study

Nearly one-quarter of bumble bee species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature are considered to be in decline, necessitating monitoring to support recovery planning. A key element of robust wildlife monitoring is accounting for imperfect detection in the observation process and efforts to understand sources of detection uncertainty in bumble bee surveys began recently in response to the listing of the rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, as federally endangered in the U.S. and Canada. We investigated within-community variation in detection probabilities among eight species that vary in occupancy, including B. affinis. We sampled bumble bees along roadsides in the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota in the United States in 2018. We generated estimates of occupancy, detection probability, and cumulative detection probability from a multispecies occupancy model using a Bayesian framework that included covariates on occupancy and detection. Covariates selected a priori included floral cover and impervious surface effects on occupancy, and date, time of day, and observer effects on detection. We found that Bombus species with low occurrence are not necessarily less detectable than common species with higher occurrence, and that species reach their peak detection probability at different dates. Detection was higher in the afternoon and varied among observers. Well-designed Bombus monitoring programs can reduce sampling effort and optimize detection by sampling on dates near species detection peaks, sampling in the afternoon, and using cumulative detection probabilities to determine optimum sampling effort.

Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy

Habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of global pollinator declines, yet even after recent unprecedented periods of anthropogenic land-use intensification the amount of habitat needed to support insect pollinators remains unknown. Here we use comprehensive pan trap bee survey datasets from Ontario, Canada, to determine which habitat types are needed and at what spatial scales to support wild bee communities. Safeguarding wild bee communities in a Canadian landscape requires 11.6–16.7% land-cover from a diverse range of habitats (~ 2.6–3.7 times current policy guidelines) to provide targeted habitat prescriptions for different functional guilds over a variety of spatial scales, irrespective of whether conservation aims are enhancing bee species richness or abundance. Sensitive and declining habitats, like tallgrass woodlands and wetlands, were important predictors of bee biodiversity. Conservation strategies that under-estimate the extent of habitat, spatial scale and specific habitat needs of functional guilds are unlikely to protect bee communities and the essential pollination services they provide to both crops and wild plants.

THE USE OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR MONITORING BEE DIVERSITY IN NATURAL SYSTEMS: THE BEEMS PROJECT

Abstract. This work wants to highlight the results obtained during the BEEMS (Monitoring Bee Diversity in Natural System) project, which the main goal was to answer the following question: Which biotic and abiotic indicators of floral and nesting resources best reflect the diversity of bee species and community composition in the Israeli natural environment? The research was oriented towards the cost-effectiveness analysis of new aerial geomatics techniques and classical ground-based methods for collecting the indicators described above, based only on open-source software for data analysis. Two complementary study systems in central Israel have been considered: the Alexander Stream National Park, an area undergoing an ecological restoration project in a sandy ecosystem, and the Judean foothills area, to the South of Tel Aviv. In each study system, different surveys of bees, flowers, nesting substrates and soil, using classical field measurement methods have been conducted. Simultaneously, an integrated aero photogrammetric survey, acquiring different spectral responses of the land surface by means of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imaging systems have been performed. The multispectral sensors have provided surface spectral response out of the visible spectrum, while the photogrammetric reconstruction has provided three-dimensional information. Thanks to Artificial Intelligence algorithms and the richness of the data acquired, a methodology for Land Cover Classification has been developed. The results obtained by ground surveys and advanced geomatics tools have been compared and overlapped. The results are promising and show a good fit between the two approaches, and high performance of the geomatics tools in providing valuable ecological data.

A Checklist of the Bees of Massachusetts (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)

We present the first county-level checklist of the bees of Massachusetts, including verified records of 390 species. We review the literature and historical material, and supplement these with recent collections and online image databases, compiling a dataset of over 100,000 records. Detailed accounts are provided for 50 species reported for the first time in Massachusetts, including six species reported for the first time in New England, and 49 other species noteworthy for their paucity of records, distributional significance, novel host/ parasite associations, or taxonomic uncertainty. The addition of newly reported species is largely the result of increased bee surveys in the past 15 years, including targeted sampling on known host plants. Twenty-three species represented in collections prior to 2005 are absent from recently collected material. The richness of the Massachusetts bee fauna is compared to that of neighboring states. Sixteen of the approximately 35 exotic species recorded from North America are verified from Massachusetts. We report recent rediscoveries in the state of Andrena rehni Viereck, 1907, and the regionally rare Epeoloides pilosulus (Cresson, 1878). Two new presumed host-parasite associations are made, those of Epeolus inornatus Onuferko, 2018 parasitizing the nests of Colletes banksi Swenk, 1908, and of Triepeolus obliteratus Graenicher, 1911 parasitizing the nests of Melissodes apicatus Lovell and Cockerell, 1906.

Oregon Bee Atlas: wild bee findings from 2019

The Oregon Bee Atlas is a new volunteer-led effort to characterize the bee fauna of Oregon State by collecting, preparing and databasing specimens of wild bee species and their plant host records. In 2019 volunteers submitted 25,022 bee specimens across all Oregon counties, representing 224 unique bee species and 45 unique bee genera. Specimens were collected from a total of 352 unique flowering plant genera, resulting in the largest contemporary state-level database of bee-host plant interactions. Volunteers produced valuable occurrence records for species poorly known for the state, and species of conservation concern. The 2019 data builds on the efforts of 2018 in demonstrating the power of a specimen-focused, volunteer wild bee survey.

Ecological niche modeling for stingless bees (genus Melipona) in Waghemira and North Wollo zones of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Ethiopia has excellent potential for the existence of different stingless bee species. However, these species are wild and are facing extinction danger due to destructive harvesting and environmental degradations. To support the domestication and protection of these species, we developed a habitat suitability model for Waghemira and Lasta area (North Wollo Zone). A survey of stingless bees was carried out in Sekota, Dehana, Ziquala, Abergelle, Sehala seyemt, Tsagbji and Gazgibla from the Waghemira zone; and Gidan, Lalibela and Bugna from North Wollo zone (Lasta area) between 2016 and 2017. Environmental variables that are known to determine the site selection habit of stingless bees were used to develop the model. Multicollinearity between environmental variables was checked and maximum entropy model was used with maxent software. The accuracy of the model was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and was found to be 0.91. Variables like Water vapor pressure (35%), precipitation seasonality (25.1%), elevation (12.3%), temperature annual range (11.7%), wind speed (7.4%) contributed the highest share in the model. The predicted suitable areas are located in mid and higher altitudes of the Waghemira and North Wollo zone (Lasta area). Sekota district was very suitable. Besides, Lalibela, Gazgibla, Bugna, and Dehana were also reasonably suitable districts for stingless bees. However, the lowlands of the Waghemira zone, i.e., districts of Abergele, Ziquala and Sehala Seyemt, were found unsuitable for stingless bees. This study can be used as a basis for future intervention activities related to bee collection, domestication and commercialization in the study area and similar agroecology in Ethiopia.

First Records of Perdita bequaerti (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) from New England

We document the first New England records of the bee Perdita bequaerti Viereck. Perdita bequaerti is a specialist on Asteraceae flowers, especially Helianthus, and is native to much of eastern North America, where it is often associated with predominantly sandy habitats. Previous records indicated P. bequaerti reached the northeastern extent of its range in the state of New York, but in August 2019, during a survey of bees on Helianthus, we collected five specimens of P. bequaerti at two sites in western Massachusetts. Both sites were located on small-scale farms with abundant non-native Helianthus, on soils characteristic of sandy outwash plains and silty floodplains. These records constitute an extension of P. bequaerti's known range into New England.

Bee surveys in Brazil in the last six decades: a review and scientometrics

Bee surveys bring valuable information regarding species distribution, phenology, and their interactions with host plants, and thus are important to bee conservation, especially in the present scenario of drastic declines reported worldwide. The Brazilian bee fauna has been surveyed intensively since the late 1960s, but the state-of-the-art of this research topic has not been explored in detail. Our main goal is to analyze the scientific literature through a systematic review of Brazilian bee surveys, describing (i) spatial sampling gaps; (ii) preferred sampling frequency and methods; (iii) species identification and vouchering practices; (iv) gender participation; and (v) how the studies are distributed among scientific journals. Our review includes 213 published studies, of which half targeted the entire bee fauna (Apoidea: Apidae sensu lato) while the other half targeted the orchid bees (Euglossini). Sampling sites are predominant in eastern Brazil, particularly within the Atlantic Forest. Hand netting bees for 1 year long was the most frequent sampling protocol to capture bees. Taxonomic identification and voucher deposition practices were mentioned in most of the papers. Men and women published almost the same number of papers, but women were less frequent as lead or senior authors and appeared less as prolific researchers. Most papers were published in a few Brazilian journals. We highlight that surveys in understudied areas are needed, especially in Amazon. Monitoring bees in previously surveyed locations is also encouraged to investigate temporal changes in bee assemblages, such as population declines, impacts of land-use changes, and effects of climate change.