Riparian areas often represent the largest patches of remnant natural habitat to be found in the agricultural landscape of the Midwest. It has been demonstrated that these patches are influential in maintaining regional biodiversity for vertebrate fauna, however their influence on the invertebrate fauna is relatively unstudied. Examining insect communities within and around riparian buffers may provide information about beneficial and pest species that occur within them. This study evaluates the changes in the Hymenoptera and Coleoptera communities along the transition zone between riparian buffers and adjacent row crop fields. Insect communities were sampled via pitfall trapping along three headwater streams in northern Missouri. All sites had narrow riparian buffers separating the stream from the field. Preliminary results indicate increased abundance and diversity at the ecotone between the crop field and riparian buffer. This difference may be linked to the increased abundance of undergrowth and flowering plants present in these areas. Additionally, there appears to be a shift in these community attributes during the growing season that may be indicative of colonizing the crop fields from the riparian buffers. The results of this research could play a role in determining appropriate ways to manage riparian buffer structure to maximize the potential benefits to the adjacent crop fields.