Be a Bee Supporter: Learn How to Help Vermont's Pollinators
This week, June 20-26, marks National Pollinator Week and with it a focus on the noticeable population decline of bumble bee populations. Mark Ferguson, a zoologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Service details the current status of these great pollinators in a recent post on the VFWS blog and speaks about recent research initiatives to better understand the scope of the problem.
We are so proud of the Vermont Bumblebee Survey that he references; our colleagues at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies spearheaded the survey, which aimed to document population levels and distribution of bumble bees and the Eastern carpenter bee in Vermont.
The survey was made possible through private donations and the participation of state partners. The larger goal is to increase awareness among the public of the bee's decline and the ways in which this is detrimental to agriculture.
Looking for ways to support bumble bees? In addition to donating to non-profits concerned with education, like the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and The Nature Museum, there are practical actions you can take in your own backyard to make your backyard a "pollinator's paradise".
Discover how you can make pollinators welcome in your yard and garden by checking out this blog post on Nature.org, "5 Simple Tips to Turn Your Yard Into Pollinator Paradise".