Volunteers are needed across Iowa to help the state DNR survey the health of our bumble bee populations. Stephanie Shepherd, a wildlife biologist with the agency, says Iowa’s taking part in what’s known as the Bumble Bee Atlas, a national survey collecting information on what types of bees are around and how they’re distributed.
Free training sessions for volunteers are being offered online starting April 13th that are sponsored by the Xerces Society, which is working with the DNR and Iowa State University.
The field work will start in June and it runs through October. There are at least 13 species of bumble bees in Iowa, and Shepherd says they’re all somewhat similar in appearance.
Over many years, Shepherd says she’s handled hundreds of bumble bees and has only been stung once or twice, so put that out of your mind, though if you have a bee allergy, this probably isn’t for you.
Surveys are expected to focus on the following counties: Cerro Gordo, Fremont, Hancock, Ida, Jones, Linn, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Winnebago, Woodbury and Worth. During the 2024 count, Iowa participants conducted 644 surveys and counted 7,198 bees. The Iowa DNR has a video of a survey on its YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@iowadnr/videos, then scroll to Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas. Sign up here: www.bumblebeeatlas.org/.
