A while back, we wrote about the World Bee Count, a project launched in Britain to count all the pollinators in the world. Motivated to document these creatures essential to our food supply, researchers at the World Bee Project have created an app that they hope citizens all over the world will download and use to take photos of bees in their local communities, populating the first ever database of bees. The images will be uploaded and placed on a worldwide map, illustrating where bees are found. The map is scheduled to go live on World Bee Day, May 20.
While the goals of the project are focused on honey bees, because of their importance to the world’s agriculture and their ability to make honey that can be managed by beekeepers, the project will also document the the more than 20,000 species of bees live in the wild. Together with beetles, butterflies, flies, moths and wasps, they belong to the group known as invertebrate pollinators and provide essential pollination services…so it’s important to ensure their survival, too. The first step to doing so is to count them so we can prevent their decline.
The app is now available (it was originally scheduled to launch on May 1) and can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play.
We downloaded the app this morning and used it to add several photos quite easily. You can also upload images you have on your phone that you have taken without the app. Either way, it just takes a few seconds to load, and then you get a confirmation message with interesting bee facts. The process is very similar to the iNaturalist app that helps scientists access observations of nature from citizen scientists all over the world.
If you’re like us and can’t get enough of bees, share your enthusiasm for these amazing creatures that pollinate much our food supply, and help count them.
I am a veggies farmer. I have bees everywhere. Including 15 hives on the farm. If i counted every bee i see, i wouldn’t have time for everything else on the farm.
That’s wonderful! I believe that part of the World Bee Count project includes a network of beekeepers and hives.
Dear Larchmont Buzz and Ms. Lombard,
It is wonderful that bees are getting the attention they deserve. What isn’t getting attention is that Lowes and Home Depot sell plants that have been treated with bee killing Neonicotinoids and Fipronil (neonics). These nicotine based pesticides have been condemned for their decimation of pollinator populations. If you go to a local nursery like Sunset Nursery, their plants have not been treated with these pathogens. The sale of these pesticides is over two billion dollars a year. And now we have a non existant EPA and FDA. Hope the big box hardware stores don’t advertise in the local “buzz”.
Excellent point. The use of pesticides is strongly discouraged by many conservation organizations including the National Wildlife Federation. If you garden with sustainable practices that promote wildlife, you may want to consider certifying your garden as a wildlife habit. We posted an article about how to do it. Our gardens and yards are home to lots of urban wildlife and you’re right, it’s no place for pesticides! Thanks for your comment.