A straightforward method to confine and safely handle bees in the field

Improving understanding of the basic biology and ecology of many insect pollinators, particularly specialist or rare taxa, is a research priority. As such, there is often a need to temporarily confine field-collected organisms in a non-injurious manner in order to gain additional information. We demonstrate a thoroughly tested approach for safely handling field-collected bees of conservation concern to quickly constrain, safely manipulate, and release specimens at the point of capture. This procedure can easily be tailored towards specific project needs, including organism identification, pollen removal, marking, and/or collection of non-destructive genetic samples. It can also be easily adapted for use with other insect groups as well as by individuals of varying experience and skill levels. The data collection made possible by this protocol can help address critical data gaps for many pollinator species, plant-pollinator networks, and pollinator conservation and management initiatives.