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Bumble Bees of Ohio:The Rusty Patched BumbleBee-Zoom Edition

By Professor Randy Mitchell at the Highland Square Library

Join the University of Akron’s Dr. Randy Mitchell to learn about Ohio’s bumble bees, the Ohio Bee Survey, and what you can do to help some of our bees on Zoom. Register online, by phone, or in person.

At least 19 species of bumble bees could once be found in Ohio, but only about 10 of them are now frequent.  Some were never common here, but several once-abundant species are now in steep decline. Indeed, two species are in danger of becoming extinct not only in our state, but globally. One of those species, the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, has not been seen in Ohio since 2002. Habitat loss, introduced parasites, and pesticide use are the most likely causes of this decline. Good habitat management can help them recover in some cases. 

In response to concerns about pollinator health, the Ohio Bee Survey was organized to bring together scientists, parks, and citizen scientists to evaluate the distribution and abundance of all of Ohio’s bees. Join the University of Akron’s Dr. Randy Mitchell to learn more about Ohio’s bumble bees, the Ohio Bee Survey, and what you can do to help some of our most important, charismatic, and vulnerable pollinators.

Randy Mitchell, a Professor of Biology at the University of Akron, is the Director of the University of Akron Field Station. Dr. Mitchell grew up loving science, the outdoors, backpacking, and insects. He has done research in many wonderful places, including Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, California’s deserts and mountains and scrub, Adelaide Australia, New Mexico’s mountains and deserts, Wisconsin’s wetlands, and the wonderful Cuyahoga Valley. Dr. Mitchell specializes in researching the Ecology of plant-pollinator interactions

The Akron Summit County Public Library has materials available on bees, including Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees, by Thor Hanson.

This program will be presented on Zoom.

You will receive an e-mail with the participation weblink 1-2 days before the program. Please contact the Library if you are unable to attend.

If you do not have an e-mail address, please contact Highland Square Branch Library at 330.376.2927 to learn how to participate by phone.

A webcam and microphone may be necessary to participate fully in this interactive event. If you have one or neither of these, your participation may be limited.

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