BeeSpotter

Welcome to BeeSpotter!

B. affinis & rufocinctus!

Collage of Bombus affinis and Bombus rufocinctus photos
For the fourth year in a row, we have a confirmed spotting of a Bombus affinis, plus Bombus rufocinctus, a species that may be making a comeback in Illinois (with spottings 2 years in a row)!
(Article updated 9/11/2011!)
Read about these spottings »
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Latest News

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Wondering what BeeSpotter is?

BeeSpotter is a partnership between citizen-scientists and the professional science community designed to educate the public about pollinators by engaging them in a data collection effort of importance to the nation. It is a web-based portal at the University of Illinois for learning about honey bees and bumble bees and for contributing data to a nationwide effort to baseline information on population status of these insects.

A couple of notes for those who are new to the BeeSpotter website:

  • We are currently only collecting Bee Spottings in the state of Illinois, but hope to eventually expand to other states as well!
  • Please be sure to post at least one photo with each submission! The expert identifier cannot respond to any ID request that does not have a photo.

What you can do

We have been receiving a number of queries from people wondering how they can get involved in this initiative. The best way to get involved is to get out there with your camera and capture some good pictures of bees! We want to get a better idea of bee demographics in the state of Illinois, and we can't do it without your help. In order to get your bee pictures on our website, just create an account and then add your bee spotting.