Spring is Here…Where are the Bees?

Grab Your Camera…Bumble Bee Watch is Here!

New web site is launched to help identify and protect bumble bees

 

PORTLAND, Ore---A new web site launched today allows people to be directly involved in protecting bumble bees throughout North America. BumbleBeeWatch.org enables people to connect with experts and other enthusiasts, and help build a comprehensive picture of where bumble bees are thriving and where they need help.

 

Furry, hardworking bumble bees are essential to wildlands, gardens, and farms, helping to deliver food security for both people and wildlife alike. Alarmingly, many recent reports suggest that we may be losing their familiar buzz from our summer landscapes due to habitat loss, insecticide use, disease, and climate change. More information is needed to determine their conservation status, and that process demands a continent-wide collaborative effort.

 

“We have an amazing community of citizen scientists who have helped us follow a handful of bee species,” said Rich Hatfield, the Xerces Society conservation biologist who coordinated creation of Bumble Bee Watch. “Hopefully this new web site will generate greater awareness and allow us to draw more people into this community.”

 

A smartphone or simple digital camera (and a computer) is all that’s needed to start exploring BumbleBeeWatch.org. In addition to uploading photos of bumble bees, individuals can identify the bumble bees, learn about their ecology, and connect with bumble bee experts and other citizen scientists engaged in pollinator conservation.

 

The information gathered will help locate rare or endangered populations, as well as track species whose status is less well known. "Bumble Bee Watch will greatly benefit our at-risk pollinator conservation program," said Sheila Colla, project leader for Wildlife Preservation Canada’s At-Risk Pollinator Project, a partner in Bumble Bee Watch. “By locating rare bumble bee populations and collecting information on their ecological requirements, citizen scientists can help conserve these important insects.”

 

Bumble Bee Watch is a partnership between the Xerces Society, Wildlife Preservation Canada, the University of Ottawa, theMontreal Insectarium, the Natural History Museum in London, and BeeSpotter.

 

“Bumble Bee Watch unites scientists and conservation organizations in Canada and the United States in the study and protection of North America’s bumble bees,” said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society. “We are grateful for the hard work and commitment that our partners have made. This web site will transform the way bumble bees are viewed and protected.”

 

 

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For More Information

 

Learn more about BumbleBeeWatch.org:

·         Watch this video to learn how to contribute your photos, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Kp3Awf2MQ

·         Learn how to take helpful photos of bumble bees, www.bumblebeewatch.org/contents/photo-tips/  

·         Meet the Bumble Bee Watch partners, http://bumblebeewatch.org/contents/about/ 

 

Watch the Bumble Bee Watch trailer video on YouTube, http://youtu.be/vTLKMAtXGnA

 

Read more about bumble bees at risk on Xerces’ Project Bumble Bee web page, http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/

 

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