Bumblebee queen collecting pollen and nectar from a thistle at Thomas Hill Reservoir Conservation Area, Missouri, in August 2017.

Blue vane traps are one method used to collect bees in experimental study fields and are then emptied after 24 hrs. Bee tissues are undergoing analyses for pesticide residues. A queen bumblebee (Bombus auricomus) collects pollen from a thistle (Cirsium altissimum) in the field-margin surrounding a neonicotinoid-treated soybean field (Missouri, USA). Neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect a range of non-target organisms including honeybees and aquatic invertebrates. However, less is understood about their potential impacts on functional groups and/or broad measures of arthropod performance including abundance, behavior, condition, reproductive success, and survival.