Spencer Hardy, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, project coordinator for the Vermont Wild Bee Atlas

Bees are intimately tied to flowers by their use of pollen as a protein source, making them the most important pollinator taxon in many regions. Ongoing threats to managed, non-native Western Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) have raised public awareness of the importance of bees to human wellbeing, and there is concern that some of the approximately 4,000 bee species in the United States may also be declining. Vermont is estimated to have about 350 species of wild bees. The Vermont Wild Bee Survey represents the first step in assessing bee populations across Vermont.

More photos at VCE website: https://vtecostudies.org/blog/study-reveals-striking-decline-of-vermonts-bumble-bees/