South Dakota Bumble Bees's Boletim

28 de fevereiro de 2022

Great Plains Bumble Bee Atlas

I hope everyone has a good stash of honey and is surviving the winter well.
New Happenings -
The Great Plains Bumble Bee Atlas is starting and the website is up, to at least give us your contact information if you are interested in helping. www.bumblebeeatlas.org/greatplainsbba
The Atlas is coordinated by the Xerces Society with partnerships from many federal, state, tribal, and private groups. The requirement for the atlas is to conduct 2 surveys per year. There will be several virtual training sessions and field training across the state. Again, sign up at the website to stay informed.

We look forward to you Citizen Science efforts to give us better information on bumble bees in South Dakota, North Dakota and Kansas. Nebraska already has a bumble bee atlas. So we will now have the majority of the Great Plains covered.

Thanks for you time and help!!

Posted on 28 de fevereiro de 2022, 01:05 PM by bess1010 bess1010 | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

28 de setembro de 2021

Where are the Bumblebees???

It has been a hot, dry season in the middle part of South Dakota. I saw one bumblebee on Sunday, Sept 26 at the Oahe Downstream Butterfly Garden. Only got a glimpse before it flew away. I'm guessing it was an American or Yellow Bumblebee. Wish I could have gotten a photo.

Hope you are finding bumblebees where you live.

Posted on 28 de setembro de 2021, 01:55 PM by bess1010 bess1010 | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

13 de julho de 2021

Bumble bee season!

Hi everyone!

We are in the midst of summer and pollinators are buzzing around doing the important work they do. This past weekend I saw dozens of bumble bees out at the Pierre Native Plant Arboretum and Nature Area. I also spotted a monarch, some skippers and a few colorful beetles! The Pierre Native Plant Arboretum and Nature Area contains over 44 species of trees and plants that all exhibit the beautiful patterns in nature and attract numerous different species. I will be sharing photos and my attempts at their ID on here periodically (reminder, you don't have to know the ID of what you post- the experts in iNaturalist can help with that)!

One of my other favorite places to find bumble bees is at the Pollinator Garden located in the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area in Fort Pierre. Excitingly, the USFWS Seventh Annual Butterfly Festival "Little Wings on the Prairie" is located there and happening this weekend. Stop by between 9am-Noon for some great pollinator fun and activities for all ages. This will be an opportunity to speak with pollinator specialists, look at bugs up-close, practice your bee photography skills and much more! Don't forget to share with us here on iNaturalist, your work as citizen scientists is valuable and greatly appreciated.

We hope to see you there!

Rosalie

Posted on 13 de julho de 2021, 08:02 PM by rosalie_w rosalie_w | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

26 de maio de 2021

It's a Different Year

Last year I could find Hunt's Bumblebees every place I looked. This year I haven't seen one. All the bumblebees seem to be late in coming out. I will post some photos from the weekend and Tuesday. The bumblebees seemed large and the same even though in different locations.

Hope you are seeing some interesting bumblebees where you are.

Great news - we are almost totally funded for the Great Plains (SD, ND, KS portion) Bumblebee Atlas. We will be getting the cooperative agreement ready with the Xerces Society and then looking for help to conduct surveys. Stay tuned.

Posted on 26 de maio de 2021, 02:48 PM by bess1010 bess1010 | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

01 de maio de 2021

A Cooperative Bumblebee

Today I had a bumblebee that let me get a couple photos (see today's observations). Also had a bumblebee in my yard but it preferred to stay hidden in a brush pile. Hopefully it has a nest.

Posted on 01 de maio de 2021, 10:52 PM by bess1010 bess1010 | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

30 de abril de 2021

First Bumblebee of the year

Finally caught a quick glimpse of a bumblebee today. The weather hasn't been great, but dandelions, plums and golden currant are in full bloom. So where are all the bees? Even the smaller bees seems to be hiding around the Pierre, SD area.

I hope some of you are finding some bumblebees. I'll try again tomorrow.

Posted on 30 de abril de 2021, 11:32 PM by bess1010 bess1010 | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

09 de fevereiro de 2021

Happy New Year

Hello everyone. We were very happy with the interest in bumble bees last year, and hope to get even more involvement this summer. Charlie and I are trying to start a South Dakota Bumble Bee atlas with the help of several professional biologists, and if we are successful, we will need help from as many volunteers as possible. We will need people willing and able to learn survey protocols help to document the presence of all bumble bee species they encounter on surveys. Even if we are not successful in securing funding, we hope to run a more formal bumble bee survey summer, and hope to have time for some centralized coordination. In the meantime, please post any photos from bumble bees you took last summer. The best photos include a shot of the backside of the full thorax and abdomen (underwing if possible), a clear view from the side, and if possible, a close up of the face. This includes 2-3 photos.

If possible, please note the plant species the bee was photographed on, or observed feeding from.

Please feel free to message either of us with questions.

Hope your 2021 is far better than your 2020

Dan

Posted on 09 de fevereiro de 2021, 12:31 PM by bobolinkdk bobolinkdk | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

24 de setembro de 2020

It's already September

Well, we are entering the home stretch for bumble bees in South Dakota. We are up to 19 species seen in South Dakota, including Western Bumble Bee (thanks Rebnewt!!) and Southern Plains Bumble Bee. Many of the bees we will see from now on will be either drones or queens. The cooler temperatures will allow for really nice photos. All the information is helping the bees, other pollinators, and natural areas across the state.

Dan

Posted on 24 de setembro de 2020, 02:05 PM by bobolinkdk bobolinkdk | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

27 de agosto de 2020

Bumble Bees hiding in the grass

Yesterday I was trying to get a photo of a bumble bee and it landed on a plant stem, went down the stem and disappeared into the grass. Must have been time for a break. It was a hot day.

Posted on 27 de agosto de 2020, 12:21 PM by bess1010 bess1010 | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

20 de agosto de 2020

Back half of August

We are in the back half of August, and the community has added 3 BB species to the South Dakota Inaturalist list, included Western Bumble bee. Thanks to everyone who is actively taking photos, and looking for that one bee that seems just a little bit different. Bumble bees shiver, allowing them to raise their body temperature and remain active when it is too cold for other species. If you are out early in the morning, the bees will allow you to get VERY close for photos. Please remember to get several angles, including the top of the abdomen, the full face, if possible, and a good side view with legs included. Have fun, and keep posting those quality photos!!

Dan

Posted on 20 de agosto de 2020, 01:35 PM by bobolinkdk bobolinkdk | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário