The importance of vertically stratified, multi-year sampling for understanding native bee assemblages in southeastern temperate deciduous forests Dataset and R script

This contains the dataset and R code, which includes records of bee captures from a vertically stratified sampling study conducted in Tuskegee National Forest (Tuskegee, Alabama, USA) from April to October 2021 and March to October 2022. Blue vane traps were deployed at four forested sites, each with four replicates consisting of paired traps located in the understory (1 m) and upper canopy (average 20 m). The goal was to evaluate how native bee assemblages differ between vertical strata in a southeastern temperate deciduous forest. In total, 1,494 bees were captured, representing 38 taxa across 15 genera and five families: Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, and Megachilidae. Each record includes sampling site, replicate, trap height (canopy or understory), date of collection, taxonomic identification, and abundance. The dataset supports findings that bee abundance, diversity, and community composition vary by vertical stratum, season, and year, highlighting the importance of stratified, long-term sampling in forested ecosystems.