Like humans, honey bees are extremely social and are susceptible to disease. Check out our piece in The Conversation about how they work together to fight disease, much like we must to fight COVID-19. Read here.
Species interactions in a prairie butterfly: Puget blues, ants and nectar plants
Every year, the South Sound, WA celebrates its prairies with Prairie Appreciation Day where visitors tour the gorgeous prairies and participate in activities to learn about prairie plants, pollinators, and more. This year, Prairie Appreciation Day was cancelled but, we’re still celebrating virtually! Instead of in-person activities, the virtual celebration is a blog with posts […]
Happy World Bee Day!
Did you know there are 20,000 species of bees in the world? And that 4,000 of those species are native to North America? In celebration of World Bee Day, Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI) highlights some of the bees TPI members have studied across the United States and in Costa Rica! Read about TEN species of […]
Stop calling it the "murder hornet"
Over the weekend, you may have seen charged headlines about the “murder hornet.” In response, I received many panicked messages asking whether the Asian giant hornet is a cause for concern. Check out my recent Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI) blog post to learn about why this hornet could be a problem for managed honey bees, […]
Tufts University Medford-Somerville is now a Bee Campus USA!
I am excited to announce that the Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI) has reached its goal of making Tufts University Medford-Somerville a certified Xerces Society Bee Campus USA! To learn more about the Bee Campus USA program and how TPI will continue to spread the pollinator love, check out my most recent TPI blog post!
Stuck at home?
Unfortunately, my Washington fieldwork has been delayed for the time being. In the meantime, you can learn about Pacific Northwest bees I saw last year (as well as other pollinators) by checking out this free online version of 2 Million Blossoms! Many thanks to Kirsten, the editor, for making this available. If you enjoy this […]
TPI goes to Costa Rica!
This January, most members of the Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI) traveled to Costa Rica as part of Tufts University’s Tropical Ecology and Conservation course. In this course, students spend the fall semester preparing a proposal and planning a research project for the tropics. Over winter break, the students visit the tropics to carry out their […]
Holiday gift ideas to spread the pollinator love
This month’s Tufts Pollinator Initiative blog post, written by yours truly, lists gift ideas for the pollinator enthusiasts in your life! Check out the gift ideas here. Happy holidays from me and the rest of the Tufts Pollinator Initiative!
Dress Like a Scientist Day
As a kid, I thought that all scientists dressed in a white coat and goggles, ready to mix chemicals and use fancy equipment in a lab. I didn’t realize that in playing outdoors, catching insects, and asking questions, I was doing science. Now as a field biologist, I am constantly inspired by the natural curiosity […]
Providing shelter for native bees
Last month I had the opportunity to run a workshop on protecting native bees for 250+ kids at Camp Micah in Bridgton, ME. Like humans, bees need three things: food, shelter, and water. In my workshop, the campers focused on shelter—we built 200 bee “hotels” to donate to the Honeybee Conservancy for their Sponsor-A-Hive program. […]
Providence Pollinator Lab 