Bees of Vermont published

[Spencer Hardy]

Hello all, 

A quick note to say that we have recently published the first formal checklist of native bees in Vermont as a monograph in Northeast Naturalist. We are deeply appreciative of the help received from many members of this group, including everything from sharing of records, specimen determinations, and discussions of host preferences. Abstract below, full text via request, either through ResearchGate or email.

All the best,

Spencer

Abstract

This is the first comprehensive checklist and conservation assessment of the bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) fauna of the State of Vermont. This checklist of 351 species (plus 1 morphospecies) is based on 79,206 open-access data records available from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), nearly all (98%) of which were identified by an author or trusted collaborator, including 100% of the 24,270 research-grade observations from the community science platform iNaturalist. Through fieldwork and digitization of museum collections, we documented 9 species previously unreported from New England and as many as 24 novel host–parasite relationships. Overall, Vermont shares much of the bee fauna of neighboring states, with a notable contingent of northern and western species not regularly found elsewhere in New England or New York. Conservation rankings indicate that as many as 60% of the bee species in the state are vulnerable (S3 or lower). Detailed species accounts are provided as supplementary material, which cover the phenology, state-wide distribution, conservation status, and floral preferences of Vermont’s bee fauna.

--

Spencer Hardy (he/him/his)

VT Wild Bee Survey Coordinator

Vermont Center for Ecostudies

PO Box 420 | Norwich, Vermont 05055

*Curious about Honey Bees? Read this.