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Native Bee Watch Community Science Program   arrow

Engaging Coloradans in research and education to support pollinator conservation.

Registration coming soon!

Save the date for virtual training:

May 9th from 2-4pm or May 15th from 6-8pm

Sign up to be notified about 2024 opportunities!

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With pollinator conservation rising to the top of environmental concerns, our purpose is to be a resource for the community, research bee diversity and abundance, and provide the long-term monitoring data. Conservation for bees and pollinators isn’t just a job for scientists, but for the community too! 


About the Project


Native Bee Watch is a community science biodiversity monitoring project that began in 2016 at Colorado State University. The project is now a statewide program within Colorado State University Extension.

Why Monitor Bees? 

There are over 1,000 native bee species in Colorado! With this incredible diversity, we want to learn more about the bees and the plants they are pollinating. We are also interested in learning how urban areas affect bee diversity and abundance. We have several goals with this project: 1) learn about bee diversity and abundance in local areas, 2) make plant recommendations to homeowners and municipal planners, 3) provide education to volunteers and the community, and 4) assess adult learning in community science.

Pollinators are responsible for one-third of the human diet including vegetables, fruits and nuts – the most nutritious part of our diet. Over 75% of plants on earth need pollinators to reproduce. Due to a variety of factors, including increasing urbanization, pollinator populations are declining. Pollinator conservation takes locally based solutions and dedication from the community.

We chose to make Native Bee Watch a community science program so that the community can be involved in research. Volunteers learn about bee biology and identification, and become an steward for pollinators and the environment.

If you are interested in this project, please contact Lisa at Lisa.Mason@colostate.edu.


Get Involved


Requirements to participate Native Bee Watch: 

  • Must attend a two-hour virtual training session or watch a recorded training session.
    • Live trainings will be held in May 2024.
  • Must be willing to submit data at a minimum of twice a month from June through August.

No prior skills needed. All training on how to monitor bees will be provided at the training session. Bee monitoring data can be collected in your own backyard!

Checkout the Bee Information section for a jump start on training.

The social media toolkit has resources for you to share your involvement with Native Bee Watch on your social media platforms. Tell your family and friends why you are volunteering for Native Bee Watch!

Please keep the following emails on your “safe senders” list: lisa.mason@colostate.edu and nativebeewatch@gmail.com.


Bee Information


We believe that building awareness surrounding native pollinators and native pollinator friendly plants is critical! Please take time to learn more and share this information with your family, friends and neighbors.

Native Bee Watch Field Guides

Native Bee Watch: A Colorado Citizen Science Field Guide

A Beginner’s Field Guide to Identifying Bees

Extension Fact Sheets and Relevant Publications

Blog Posts on Pollinators

Check out the CO-Horts Blog for information on pollinators and other important topics written by your CSU Extension Horticulture Staff from around the state. Here are some recent posts on pollinators:


Research, Projects and Resources


Published Research and Completed Projects

2023 – Community Science Online: Building Capacity for Native Bee Monitoring

2019 – Assessing the efficacy of citizen scientists monitoring native bees in urban areas

2020 – Native Bee Watch Undergraduate Internship – Sarah Viders poster presentation, CSU Source story and Sarah’s Sustainability Secrets video series

2021 – Interactive data dashboard

For School Teachers

Bring native bee education into your classroom! Bee Please! STEM Kits available to check out for FREE! Activities utilize community science data collected through Native Bee Watch. Learn more about STEM kits available for check out at the CSU’s Education and Outreach Center.

Organizations Supporting Pollinator Conservation

National

Local


In the News


March 3, 2022 – The Denver Channel – Colorado bill aims to save bee populations by restricting pesticide use

November, 2021 – The Conversation – 4 Unexpected Places Where Adults Can Learn Science

June 28, 2021 – Colorado Public Radio – From Plants To Pesticides, Answering More Colorado Wonders Questions About Pollinators

June 18, 2021 – Colorado Public Radio – Have You Noticed Fewer Bees in Colorado This Year? You’re Not Alone

May 14, 2021 – CSU Source – What’s the buzz? Count and conserve bees in your community with Native Bee Watch

Oct. 11, 2020 – CSU Source – Virtual internship inspires creativity and resilience

Aug 6, 2020 – 630 KHOW Talk Radio with Ross Kaminsky – How we can help bees thrive, and why we should

Aug. 4, 2020 – Denver Post – How to create a bee-friendly garden in Denver to support Colorado’s more than 900 native species

May 12, 2020 – kHEN 106.9 Free Range Radio, Salida, CO – Native Bees

For media inquiries, contact Lisa Mason at lisa.mason@colostate.edu or 303-738-7966

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