Native buzz: How citizen scientists can help evaluate pollinator diversity

Native Buzz is a citizen science project created by the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. The goal of this project is to compile information about pollinator diversity and compare native and non-native hymenoptera populations in different habitats.

This project helps teach the scientific method and the value of science while providing participants with an opportunity to get involved in a project that can help them recognize a real problem. By including citizen scientists we aim to increase the understanding of pollinators and their importance in ecosystems and agriculture. To reach a larger audience, the presence of Native Buzz on existing social media and other citizen science platforms is increasing.

After adequate data collection, this project has the potential to expand the current knowledge of pollinators, and will help us determine if there is a decline of native or non-native pollinator populations. There are economic and biodiversity threats connected with pollinator decline, and this study will help us recognize any reduction of native or non-native pollinator populations and understand what factors may be contributing to this decline. Learn how you can get involved working with nesting habitats for solitary bees and wasps, and how habitats and food source availability for honey bees and bumble bees can change population dynamics.