11.2.09

The Buzz On Bees

While going through my hard drive looking for photos to upload to my photo blog I've noticed a trend. I spend a lot of time in the garden photographing the bees that visit. I think I've mentioned here before that my favorite pollinator in my urban garden is the bumblebee but until recently I hadn't noticed that I had quite the bee fetish that my photographs seem to indicate I have. This epiphany of mine has lead to me deciding I want to be part of the solution and do my part in protecting bees. Below you'll find a number of links that you can visit if you want to become involved too. Your recommendations would be greatly appreciated.



Participation:

BeeSpotter-"Partnership between citizen-scientists and the professional science community designed to educate the public about pollinators by engaging them in a data collection effort of importance to the nation." Average people like you and I photograph bees in our areas and help create a tally of variety of bees found in Illinois. There is probably a similar effort in your state.

The Great Sunflower Project-Get free sunflower seeds to plant in your garden. Keep a count of the bees you find in your garden and enter the tally online.

Pollination Canada-Become a Pollinator Observer anywhere flowers grow and submit your information.

Bee groups & blogs:

Chicago Honey Co-op
Solitary Bees
Longworth Allotment Apiary Group

Resources/Information:

Bumblebee Conservation Trust-UK
American Beekeeping Federation-US
Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees-U.S.
Go Beekeeping-Info for the hobby beekeeper
North American Pollinator Protection Campaign
Creating Homes That Please America's Wild Bees
Urbane Bee Gardens-Great website with lots of information for attracting bees
The Xerces Society-International, nonprofit that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.
BeeProf-Portal of bee related news.
Gardening for Bees -Recommended plant list if you want to turn your garden into a bee garden.
Google For Gardeners-My Google Custom Search Engine. I used to search for the info listed here.
Native Bees: Meet Your Neighbors-Chicago Wilderness Magazine article on the native bee species in Illinois.

I'll be making this post on bees a permanent link in the header and updating it as I come across more information. If you have any suggestions for links and projects like the BeeSpotter & The Great Sunflower Project leave a comment or use the contact form to drop me a message. The threat that bees are facing is a worldwide problem so links don't have to be specific to Chicago or the U.S.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:10 PM

    Illinois State Beekeepers Association
    http://www.isba.us/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:36 AM

    I've just added this to Delicious. Thanks for the great list of resources. I love bees!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:53 AM

    Anonymous and Genevieve thanks for stopping by and commenting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post! Pollinators play an absolutely crucial role.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know this is a late comment, but I just had to chime in :) I'm a "bee freak" as well, and I keep a nest block for mason bees, and it's as fun as it is easy! :)

    ReplyDelete

Hi!

Feel free to leave a comment. You can always use the search box for my blog or the search "Google For Gardeners" if you're looking for gardening information. If you're looking for seed saving information check out "Seed Snatcher"search engine.

Do not have a blog yourself? Comment using the "anonymous" feature. If you have a Twitter or FB account feel free to use the "Name URL" feature so other people can find you.


Thanks for visiting.