It is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to identify a bee solely on the basis of images, especially if the bee has been photographed from afar, with a smartphone or from a single viewpoint. This is why our inventories often require the collection and conservation of bees in a collection in order to identify them to the species level, to carry out genetic and toxicological studies and keep voucher specimens of bee populations for the decades to come. These captures are essential for science, and a recent study has shown that repeated, lethal sampling of wild bees by net and pan-trapping didn't have an impact on the abundance, diversity and composition of wild bee populations. Most bees live as adults only for a few weeks or months and many are killed by predators or human activities others than capture. Traveling by car or public transport, mowing your lawn or removing weeds from your garden all have a greater impact on bee populations than catching a few dozen bees a few times a month. It is, in many ways, like taking a blood sample: it's rather unpleasant but essential to take a fraction of your blood to assess your health status and establish a proper diagnosis before giving treatment.

So you can help us by collecting wild bee specimens using a butterfly net (Maunakea, Amazon), coloured pan traps or any other legal harvesting method (outside nature reserves, Natura 2000 areas and other protected places). For each specimen collected, record the date, location, method of capture and host plant.

Place the specimens in a small container with a paper or cardboard label where you'll write all collection information with a pencil, then keep them in the freezer and contact us to transfer them to us. Each specimen collected by you and sent to our ULB researchers will be identified, added to the university's entomological collections under your name, and included as observation in the future atlas.