The conservation status and uncertain future of Vermont's native bees
March 03, 2020Spencer Hardy presented "The conservation status and uncertain future of Vermont's native bees" at VCE's Suds and Science in March. Watch on YouTube »
Vermont Wild Bee Survey Records Over 9,000 Bees in 2019
December 08, 2019Last week the Vermont Wild Bee Survey (VTBees) reached a milestone. Our project coordinator, Spencer Hardy, and our intern, Katie McGranaghan, blow dried, pinned and catalogued the last bee of 2019 to our collection and database. Read more on the VCE Blog »
Bee Survey Says... Numerous Species Found For First Time In Vermont This Summer
August 08, 2019This summer, the Vermont Center for Ecostudies has spearheaded the Vermont Wild Bee Survey in Chittenden County. According to project coordinator Spencer Hardy, more than 320 species have been documented thus far — and nearly a dozen appear to be species of wild bees that were previously unknown to be in the state. Listen to the story at Vermont Public Radio »
VTBees Update From the Field
July 30, 2019Throughout the spring and summer, Vermont Center for Ecostudies biologists and citizen scientists alike have been scouring fields, roadsides, gardens, and all places flowers are found surveying bees for the Vermont Wild Bee Survey (VTBees). As different flowers come into bloom, different specialist bees emerge to nectar on a single species or group of flowers. From pickerelweed to loosestrife, sunflower to goldenrod, chasing down these flowers and the bees that associate with them has led to some exciting apine discoveries Read the latest on the VCE Blog »
Beyond the Headlines: Where have Vermont's bees gone?
June 06, 2019Galen Ettlin spoke with Leif Richardson about the grave concerns they have for some bee populations around the region. Watch the interview on WCAX »
North Americas At-Risk Bumble Bees
April 30, 2019An analysis led by the Xerces Society, and coordinated with the IUCN North American Bumble Bee Specialist Group, indicates that more than one-quarter of North American bumble bees are facing some degree of extinction risk. Read more from the Xerces Society to learn about bumble bee species that are currently most at-risk in North America and their IUCN Red List status. »
UNH Researchers Reveal More Than Dozen Wild Bee Species Declining in Northeast
April 29, 2019Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found a dramatic decline of 14 wild bee species that are, among other things, important across the Northeast for the pollination of major local crops like apples, blueberries and cranberries. Read the press release on the UNH website »
Get the Buzz on the New Vermont Wild Bee Survey
April 23, 2019Although we estimate there are over 300 species of wild bees known from Vermont, there has never been a full survey of the State’s bees. Without even a checklist of species, it is very difficult to know whether populations of Vermont’s bees are healthy or declining. The Vermont Wild Bee Survey represents the first step in assessing bee populations across Vermont. Read more on the VCE Blog »
Natural habitats, bee diversity key to better apple production
January 17, 2019A Cornell-led study, published Jan. 18 in the journal Science, shows that apple orchards surrounded by agricultural lands are visited by a less diverse collection of bee species than orchards surrounded by natural habitats. In turn, apple production suffers when fewer, more closely-related species of bees pollinate an orchard. Production improves in orchards surrounded by natural habitats, which then draw a broader selection of species to apple blossoms. Read more from Cornell »
Study Reveals Striking Decline of Vermont’s Bumble Bees
December 15, 2018A new study examining 100 years of bumble bee records reveals that almost half of Vermont’s species, which are vital pollinators, have either vanished or are in serious decline. After conducting the state’s most extensive search for bumble bees, and combing through historical records from museum collections, the team has concluded that four of Vermont’s 17 bumble bee species appear to have gone extinct. The study, led by researchers from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) and the University of Vermont (UVM), was published in the Journal of Insect Conservation. Learn more on the VCE Blog »
The Secret to Better Berries? Wild Bees
November 28, 2018Want bigger, faster-growing blueberries? New research shows wild bees are an essential secret ingredient in larger and better blueberry yields – producing plumper, faster-ripening berries. The study, led by University of Vermont scientists, is the first to successfully reveal that wild bees improve not only blueberry quantities, but also size and other quality factors. It finds that wild bees provide major benefits for berry farmers, including: greater berry size (12%), quantity (12%), size consistency (11%), and earlier harvests – by two and a half days. Read more on the UVM Blog »