Family lineage relationships between spring queens, daughter workers and sister queens of three bumblebee species (Bombus terrestris, B. lapidarius and B. pascuorum) collected across the Hillesden Estate, Buckinghamshire, UK, between spring 2011 and spring 2012. A combination of land-use and habitat surveys, molecular genetics and spatial modelling was used to estimate the locations of wild colonies represented by greater than 1 worker and to calculate the proportions of cover represented by different habitat quality and land-use variables within four spatial scales from each colony location. Data were collected as part of a project led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, funded under the Insect Pollinators Initiative. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/6be00174-6544-4156-b1df-8678f6df2034

[This dataset is embargoed until March 12, 2023]. Data on worker behaviour, experimental treatment and sampling, queen longevity, queen and colony fecundity and queen morphometrics collected for an experiment manipulating costs of reproduction in bumble bee queens (Bombus terrestris). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/8efcd65a-afd7-4857-a107-9820c732b62a

This dataset describes an experimental test of potential over yielding effects on fruit set and average fruit size for tomato plants grown in the presence of three pollinator combinations: (1) the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (2) Lasioglossum spp. and (3) and additive combination of B. terrestris and Lasioglossum spp. The experimental design includes no pollinator controls nested within individual tomato plants exposed to the above pollinator species treatment combinations. This research was undertaken in 2017 and funded though a CEH Commercial Innovation Fund (National Capability) project supported by the Natural Environmental Research Council (Project NEC06344). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/94925db4-eeeb-4f3d-ae19-42a3380636e5

Geographic distances between pairs of wild bumblebee colonies across an agricultural landscape centred on the Hillesden Estate, Buckinghamshire, UK. Colony locations were estimated using the foraging locations of workers sampled in summer 2011, genotyped and grouped into full-sib families. The spatial structure of five Bombus species (Bombus terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum, B. hortorum and B. ruderatus) was determined, with inter-colony distances varying from 7 to 5264 metres. Data were collected as part of a project led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, funded under the Insect Pollinators Initiative. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/8b3f4857-9809-43cb-b2aa-a988e64a5449

This dataset contains locations of worker bumblebees of five species (Bombus terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum, B. hortorum, B. ruderatus) across an agricultural landscape centred on the Hillesden Estate, Buckinghamshire, UK. Locations were recorded in the field using a handheld GPS unit. Workers were non-lethally DNA sampled between June and August 2011, and genetic analysis used to confirm species and assign individuals to full-sib groups (colonies). Data were collected as part of a project led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, funded under the Insect Pollinators Initiative. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/a60f52b8-0f9f-44f6-aca4-861cb461a0eb

Microsatellite data for five species of common and declining bumblebee (Bombus terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum, B. hortorum and B. ruderatus) collected across the Hillesden Estate, Buckinghamshire, UK, in summer 2011. Worker genotypes were determined from individuals sampled across an agricultural landscape and queen genotypes were reconstructed from sampled worker offspring. Data were collected as part of a project led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, funded under the Insect Pollinators Initiative. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/6a408415-0575-49c6-af69-b568e343266d

This dataset describes the effects of three neonicotinoid seed treatments (clothianidin, thiamethoxam and a control) applied to winter sown oilseed rape in Hungary, Germany and the UK on wild pollinators. This dataset focuses on two wild pollinator model systems, specifically the solitary bee Osmia bicornis and bumblebee Bombus terrestris. The data describes population responses in terms of reproductive cell production (O. bicornis), numbers of different developmental stages in colonies (B. terrestris) as well as the presence of neonicotinoid residues in pollen and nectar collected by both species. This research was undertaken in 2015 using funding from the Natural Environmental Research Council on an experimental platform funded by Syngenta Ltd. and Bayer CropScience. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b75b40f6-cdb1-4bfd-a599-bd2e171512e7

This dataset contains data on insects observed visiting flowers of three crops (apples, field beans and oilseed rape) and responses by recorders to a questionnaire asking about their experience carrying out pollinator surveys. Data from thirteen flowering crop fields was collected by teams based at the University of Reading and the James Hutton Institute in Scotland. Data was collected by different recorders, some of whom were novice data collectors, experienced researchers or farmers and agronomists. Recorders were asked to implement three methods: pan trapping, transect walking and/or hand pollination and plant bagging. Transects involved walking a 50m transect recording floral visitors to crop flowers within a 1m squared moving observation widow next to the recorder. Pan trapping involved placing out three coloured water trap arrays along a 50m transect and then recording what flying insects were caught in the water traps at the end of the survey. Hand pollination and plant bagging involved putting mesh bags over flowers to exclude visitation by insects, hand pollinating crop flowers and counting and marking flowers with cable ties. Data were collected between April and July 2015 from sites across the UK. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/5822900b-3af4-4bb9-a2d6-0b5d384e2a3c

The number and type of pollinators in winter-sown oilseed rape fields (Brassica napus L.) in relation to local plant diversity (in crop and field margin) and landscape characteristics. Pollinators were collected using two methods (pan traps and transects). Local plant diversity was assessed using quadrats in field margins and in cropped area. The presence of hedges was also recorded. Landscape characteristics included the presence of patches of grassland of different biodiversity levels and the amount of grasslands and other semi natural habitat within a 0.5 - 3km radius circular buffer of the collection points. Data were collected over two years (2014-2015). These data were collected as part of Wessex BESS project, funded by the NERC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability research program. This dataset can be used in conjunction with other Wessex BESS WP4 datasets. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/6128a4f7-d2ac-43c5-b492-af4c654e89b8

Data comprise flower abundance and diversity data and bee abundance, diversity and activity data collected during extensive surveys carried out on farms in Hampshire and West Sussex, southern England between 2013 and 2015. The pollen diets of wild solitary bees were quantified using direct observations and pollen load analysis. The purpose of the study was to provide valuable information to scientists, governments and land managers in designing more effective measures to conserve the broader wild bee community on agricultural land. The work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council grant NE/J016802/1 and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/a9d713e8-c8d5-4129-8db0-d771443111cf