Bees at Home: the Natural History of Bumble Bee Nesting
Bumble bees are among the best-studied invertebrates, yet a number of aspects of these important pollinators' life history remain uncertain. One of these is the ecology of nest founding by queens in spring, and more broadly, behaviors in the nest. More than one-quarter of North American bumble bee species are currently at some degree of extinction risk, so we urgently need more information on how nesting biology impacts colony development and reproduction, and how a changing environment affects bumble bee nesting behavior. In this webinar, we'll examine what is known of bumble bee nesting biology, and consider some unanswered questions about how cooperation and conflict structure the social lives and growth of bumble bee colonies. Along the way, we'll answer questions about what queens are up to in early spring and how people can support bumble bees populations.
This webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.
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Leif Richardson
Conservation Biologist; California Bumble Bee Atlas - The Xerces Society
Leif is a conservation biologist who coordinates the California Bumble Bee Atlas project. His research focuses on the ecology, distribution, and declines of North American bumble bees. Leif previously worked as an environmental consultant, studying pesticide risk to bee pollinators, and as an ecologist for Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. He is co-author of a range of scientific publications on bees, including Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide (2014, Princeton University Press), the standard reference manual on this group of insects. He is an expert in the inventory and identification of bumble bees, and has extensive experience training others to collect bumble bee distribution data in the field. Leif holds a Master’s degree from the University of Arizona and a PhD from Dartmouth College.