Bumblebees are charming and fascinating creatures. They are also important insect pollinators. In addition to being economically important to humans, bumblebees and other native bees and insects are responsible for maintaining healthy natural communities. The continuing reports of declines in pollinator abundance, reductions in their range size, and local extinctions of pollinators are of great concern. We will discuss how human activities negatively affect bumblebees and native insects, and consider strategies to help native bees. We also will give an overview of our pollinator field work and share how we involved CU students in our research.
Bombus bifarius, photo by Jeff Mitton
Bombus nevadensis, photo by Diana Oliveras
Carol Kearns and Diana Oliveras have studied Front Range pollinators since 2001. Carol has a Ph.D. in pollination ecology and Diana has a Ph.D. in plant and insect mating systems. Both served as faculty members at the University of Colorado Boulder. They have published papers on Front Range pollinators and have hosted many talks and workshops on pollination. They both think bumblebees are the “charismatic megafauna” of the insect pollinators.
In-Person Gathering - BCAS welcomes everyone back to in-person programs at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder. Doors open at 7 PM for socializing and the program begins at 7:15. While the church is no longer requiring masks, we encourage you to wear your favorite high-quality mask, and we will provide free surgical masks for anyone who needs one. Please stay home if you feel sick, and watch the program on Zoom!
Online Gathering - The meeting room will open at 7:10 PM, and the program starts at 7:15 PM. Questions for the speaker will be taken from the chat feature of the Zoom session.
Click this link to join the program.
Meeting ID: 865 0299 5277
Passcode: 755569
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