Pollinator data from pan traps located in habitats comprising different floral cover in Buckinghamshire, UK

This dataset contains a list of pollinator species caught within pan traps from habitats comprising different floral cover. Data were collected from the Hillesden estate, Buckinghamshire in June 2015. Surveys were conducted alongside four experimental arrays of the Californian poppy, Eschscholzia californica, located with two habitats; a sown wildflower mix and bare, fallow ground. This set-up was repeated over four 100ha blocks separated at a distance greater than 500m. Pan traps comprised three water-filled circular plastic bowls (80 x 200 mm) painted with non-toxic fluorescent paint (1 yellow, 1 blue and 1 white; UV Gear, UK) placed in the centre of each array. Traps were deployed for 24 hours at each of the 16 arrays on the same day, twice weekly over the 16 day study period (totalling four surveys). Each survey was done in randomised order, between 0930 and 1700. All insects from the main pollinator groups (Hymenoptera: Apoidea, Diptera: Syrphidae and Lepidoptera) were counted and identified to species level. The intertegular span (the distance between the wing bases) of each insect from the main pollinator groups was then measured using digital callipers. The dataset was part of a larger experiment looking at the effect of floral resources on the pollination services to isolated plants.