Flower-visiting assemblages of arable lands and orchards in the eastern Pannonian Lowland, studied with volatile traps

Pollinator assemblages of different habitats are widely studied, but sampling methodologies and covering of lesser-known pollinators and other flower-visitor taxa (e.g., floriphagous species) need improvement to obtain reliable data on the structure and functioning of these communities. We assessed flower-visiting insect assemblages in arable lands and apple orchards of the eastern Pannonian Lowland using phenylacetaldehyde-based volatile traps originally developed for pest monitoring. In seven sites, 27,539 individuals belonging to 123 species and seven insect orders were recorded. On average, over 90% of the captured insects were potential pollinators, with a higher proportion in orchards (98%) than in arable lands (85%). In orchards, the dominant groups were Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Neuroptera, while in arable lands, Lepidoptera were most abundant. Floriphagous and pest species were more numerous in arable lands. These results demonstrate that phenylacetaldehyde-baited traps are easy to use, standardized, and sufficiently efficient for assessing of flower-visiting assemblages. Beyond their application in pest monitoring, they can provide reliable data on the flower-visiting and pollinator assemblages in different natural and agricultural habitats.