A Citizen Science Project Exploring Bee Biodiversity in Northern Colorado
Native Bee Watch Newsletter #13
Welcome to the Native Bee Watch Newsletter! This newsletter provides the current buzz on bee monitoring, tips for best practice observing, and other fun, educational resources. Enjoy! 
Help Us Monitor Bees! 

Interested in being a citizen scientist? Want to know more about bees in your community? Sign up to monitor bees this summer! Applications are available here. First-time visitors will need to create an account through the City of Fort Collins volunteer program. This is the same application to also monitor birds and butterflies with the City of Fort Collins Nature in the City program if you are interested. 

Applications are due by May 1st! 

To monitor bees this summer, you are required to:

  • Attend ONE of two training sessions on Saturday, May 20th from 9-11am OR Thursday, May 25th from 6-8pm. Both sessions are at Nix Farm Natural Area at 1745 Hoffman Mill Rd, Fort Collins. 

  • Commit to monitoring bees four times throughout the summer (June - September). Each monitoring sessions will be two hours from 9-11am.  

Please forward this email on to anyone who might be interested in learning more about bees! Email Lisa if you have any questions at Lisa.Mason@ColoState.edu. Looking forward to another great season of bee monitoring! 

Citizen science volunteer monitoring bees at the Gardens at Spring Creek last summer. Photos: Lisa Mason
Buzzing Information on Bees 
What’s the buzz? Over 1 million bees worth €15,000 stolen in Austria. Thieves stole more than one million bees from beehives in the small Austrian town.

MSU study: Montana has more bumble bee species than any other state. A new study shows 28 species of Bombus have been documented in Montana. 

A girl and her bees. A young Girl Scout implements a project to install leaf cutter bee nests in her hometown. 

Photo: MaLisa Spring
Native Bee Watch: A Citizen Science Project Exploring Bee Biodiversity in Northern Colorado

Website: nativebeewatch.wordpress.com     Contact: Lisa Mason at Lisa.Mason@ColoState.edu