The 1 km square surveys take a systematic approach, using pan-traps to capture samples of insects from a set of 95 1 km squares across the UK. The site network has been set up by PoMS with the kind permission of the land-owners involved. The insect sampling and flower monitoring is carried out by our brilliant team of volunteers who have 'adopted' the squares and help carry out the surveys. Each square is visited four times a year, once each in May, June, July and August.
The map on the right shows the approximate location of the PoMS squares, and whether or not they have yet been adopted for 2024 (click on the map for a closer view). If you live near one of the unadopted squares and would be interested in taking part please contact PoMS for England, Scotland and Wales, or contact DAERA for Northern Ireland. We will provide more information on what is involved and the exact square locations. Equipment, training, access permissions and identification of samples are all provided by PoMS.
PoMS relies on the support provided by our volunteers: in 2023 they made made 290 separate site visits and collected 1,402 samples - thank you!
Field kit for 1 km square survey
Processing samples in the PoMS lab
Insect samples stored for future reference
Survey sites are a mix of farmed and wild landscapes
The video below explains more about what is involved.
Within England, Scotland and Northern Ireland the PoMS 1 km squares were selected from a larger pool of squares used for the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS), and in Wales from a larger pool of 1 km squares used for on-going natural resources reporting. The squares are randomly stratified to ensure a balance between predominantly agricultural habitats and semi-natural habitats.
For more information on the approach taken to insect sampling see our FAQs page.
