The Native Bee Society of BC (NBSBC) is hosting a Bee Biology and Identification Field School supported by Save Record Ridge and Kootenay Native Plant Society.
This two-day session will start in the classroom to provide identification strategies for common native bees, as well as in depth information on their nesting, overwintering, and flower preferences! The following day we will go on a “Bee Quest”, exploring local natural areas and observing bees and their habitat in the field.
This workshop is suitable for beginner to intermediate students and will focus on recognizing common bumble bee species and common solitary bee genera. We will be examining bee specimens using low magnification digital microscopes, focusing on features that can be observed in the field and in photographs. In the field we will discuss the use of iNaturalist and the NBSBC’s BC Bee Atlas as tools for supporting native bees. We will also look for examples of important native bee habitat features and collect data for the BC Bee Atlas.
Instructor: Biologist Bonnie Zand, RPBio of the Native Bee Society of BC.
