DOI: 10.5285/4a565007-d3a1-468d-9f84-70ec7594fafe
title: Pan trap survey data from the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, 2017-2022

description: This dataset contains samples and occurrences of insects and flowers collected for the 1 km square survey of the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS). It covers the years 2017 to 2022 (note that 2017 was a pilot year and has less data than subsequent years, and that the survey first became active in Northern Ireland in 2021, which was a pilot year in that country).

This survey uses pan traps positioned on transects within a randomly allocated set of 1 km squares across the UK. The sample data contains information on the location of the traps, various environmental variables, and the total number of insect specimens collected. The occurrence data for insects contains records of all hoverflies and bees from the traps, identified (wherever possible) to species level. The occurrence data for flowers contains records of all forbs that are in flower within 2 metres of each pan-trap station. (In addition, Flower-Insect Timed Counts are carried out in the same 1 km squares, see separate dataset for these data.)

UK PoMS is co-ordinated by UKCEH, with the following delivery partners up to 2022: the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, British Trust for Ornithology, Hymettus, Natural History Museum, the University of Reading and University of Leeds. 

PoMS Steering Group members in 2022 were JNCC, DAERA, Defra, NatureScot, Welsh Government, All-Ireland Pollinators Plan, Natural England, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, Buglife and National Biodiversity Network.
description: Data are collected by PoMS volunteers and staff from up to 95 1 km squares, during four visits each summer, aiming for one visit during suitable weather approximately every month from May to September.  There will be gaps in the data where a square cannot be visited during a particular year or month. At each visit, five pan-traps are positioned in a transect across the 1 km square, and left in position for approx. six hours. The insects trapped are returned to the PoMS laboratory, where all insects are sorted into main taxonomic groupings and counted, and all bees and hoverflies are passed to taxonomic experts for identification to species level where possible.

Data is entered using online forms that promote consistency in data formats. QA checks are carried out on any photos provided that show plants in flower in the vicinity of the pan-traps; bee and hoverfly identifications are cross-checked by multiple taxonomists for all rare and apparently out-of-range occurrences, plus a random sample of other occurrences. The data is then processed through R to highlight and correct potential errors (the code for this is available in the metadata).

Martin Harvey is the PoMS co-ordinator at UKCEH and the first point of contact for queries via the poms@ceh.ac.uk email. Claire Carvell is the project manager for PoMS, also based at UKCEH Wallingford and responsible for strategic direction, overseeing delivery of the surveys, data management and reporting, and liaising with JNCC and other partners. Nadine Mitschunas leads the field team with Chris Andrews and Angus Garbutt, and Francesca Mancini leads on statistical analysis of PoMS data, with Robin Hutchinson working on data management and communications. Other UKCEH team members are Nick Isaac, Lucy Ridding, Marc Botham and Helen Roy, and our partners are represented by Richard Comont (BCT), Richard Fox and Megan Lowe (BC), Dawn Balmer and Rob Jaques (BC), Paul Lee and Rowan Edwards (Hymettus), Mike Garratt and Simon Potts (Reading University), Bill Kunin (Leeds University) and Alfried Vogler (Natural History Museum).

Thanks go to the following for their contributions up to and including 2022: Richard Dawson, Katty Baird, José van Paassen, Jan Winder, Catherine Jones and Ellen Lamborn for covering unallocated 1 km survey squares, mentoring volunteers and promoting PoMS; Ivan Wright, Nigel Jones, Liam Crowley, Alice Parfitt, Richard Dawson and Ellen Lamborn for identifying specimens; Steven Falk and Mike Edwards for taxonomic expertise