The Beecology Project  -  An activity for New Englanders, young and old 

Wild pollinators have declined in abundance, diversity, and geographic distribution at an alarming rate over recent years. These declines pose a significant threat to ecosystem health and biodiversity, yet we currently lack critical ecological information needed to develop effective conservation and restoration strategies for threatened species. The ‘Beecology Project’ aims to fill this gap by recruiting citizen scientists from across the region to digitally collect and submit ecological data on native pollinator species using our freely available smartphone and web apps. Our team has also developed several online visualization tools that will help researchers, K-12 students/teachers, conservation groups, and members of the general public use the collected ecological data to improve the quality of native pollinator habitats and ultimately, determine the cause of wild pollinator decline. The first phase of the project is focused on bumblebee-plant species interactions, with later phases focused on nesting and overwintering site preferences in bumblebees. The project will also expand to include other pollinator groups and geographic locations in North America. As a Beecologist, you will contribute valuable information on the diversity and health of pollination systems in your local area and importantly, help to keep our native ecosystems buzzing for years to come!

Be a Citizen Scientist! See a bumblebee in your yard or during an outing anywhere in New England? Use our Beecology app to capture it in a picture or video! Our app will guide you through an easy sequence of steps to identify your bumblebee's species and submit your picture to our database. In addition to learning about bumblebees, you will be contributing to science by helping us map bumblebee species in New England and what flowers they like.

Before you use the apps, check out our tutorials “Tips to ID Your Bee” and “Using Beecology Apps” on this page. You can also see examples of bees foraging for nectar or pollen; these are behaviors you will be distinguishing in your bee ID.