Welcome to the Intervale bee monitoring project!
We are a group of researchers at University of Vermont. We have been monitoring native bees throughout the Intervale since 2013, to keep track of the abundance and diversity of the bee community over time.
Why are these bees important?
Pollination is an essential part of successful farming, with about 90% of flowering plants and 66% of crop plants relying on animal pollination to reproduce. While cultivated honeybees have long provided pollination services to crops, declines in their populations mean that wild bees are becoming increasingly important. This is especially true at the Intervale, which our research and research from Vermont Center for Ecostudies have shown has the highest bee diversity of any site in Vermont. In the face of a changing climate and increasing extreme weather events, like the July 2023 floods here in Vermont, it is important to maintain a good understanding of the bee community at the Intervale and how it may change over time.
How does the monitoring work?
We use several different methods to trap the bees. The most basic method is pan traps. These are small bowls painted yellow, blue, and white that are set on the ground and filled with soapy water. The colors attract the bees which are then caught in the water. These bowls are left out for 24 hours before the bees are collected and the water is replaced. If you see colorful bowls of water set on the ground while enjoying the trails at the Intervale, that is our monitoring project!
In addition to the pan traps, we are testing several new methods this summer. One involves placing the pan traps in elevated stands, in an effort to make them more visible to bees and to reduce the chance that they get mowed over or stepped on.
We have also started using vane traps, a newer method that is thought to attract different bees from those attracted to pan traps. You may see these traps hanging from shepherd's hooks along the edge of some farm fields at the Intervale.
Like nearly all bee sampling techniques, our methods kill and collect bees for later identification and analysis. Because we’re sacrificing bees, we are very careful about how much we sample. The goal is to get the information needed to help Vermont’s bee communities with the absolute minimum number of collected bees. That is why we sample for only 2 days every 6 weeks.
How can I learn more?
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies maintains a database and field guide of the more than 300 species of bees identified in Vermont. Check it out to see the amazing diversity of bees in our state!
This guide from Vermont Fish and Wildlife provides some additional info about pollinators in the state and the threats they are facing, as well as some ways you can help out, like planting bee-friendly plants.
Check out this page from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies to learn about some more ways to help protect pollinators (as well as birds and amphibians while you’re at it!)
You can always contact Taylor Ricketts directly with any further questions or concerns