An analysis of bee diversity and sampling methods in southwestern Michigan

Abstract

Bees are one of the planet’s most important pollinators and can also serve as bioindicators of environmental health. Over the past twelve years, Dr. Ann Fraser’s lab at Kalamazoo College has been conducting bee population surveys at multiple sites in southwestern Michigan using a variety of monitoring and sampling techniques. I conducted an analysis using the lab’s comprehensive database to analyze wild bee diversity in regard to time, location, and sampling method.