Double blind validation of alternative wild bee identification techniques: DNA metabarcoding and in vivo determination in the field

For this study, double-blind experiments were performed to evaluate the accuracy of two alternative taxonomic identification techniques used on wild bees, DNA metabarcoding of bulk samples, and In-Vivo-Identification (IVI). The methods were tested on sets of dry-pinned wild bee specimens from Germany and their results compared against evaluations done by panels of bee experts using traditional identification techniques. We compared the output of both methods against the evaluation of the wild bee experts to determine similarities and discrepancies between the new approaches and traditional morphotaxonomy.