Bee Taxonomy Workshop Survey Reminder

[Branstetter, Michael - REE-ARS]

Esteemed Bee Researchers and Friends:

Here is a reminder about the bee taxonomy workshop that Victor Gonzalez and I will be running at EntSoc in Portland. We have a survey that we'd like you to fill in by the end of this week. The survey gauges interest in the workshop and a separate TaxonWorks training that we plan to hold in the coming weeks. Please fill this out if you would like to participate.

Best,

Michael and Victor

Dear Bee Research Community,

We are excited to announce a special workshop at the 2025 Entomological Society of America annual meeting in Portland, OR:

Enhancing Bee Taxonomy via Community Building, Research Prioritization, and Innovation
📅 Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | ⏰ 1:30–4:30 PM | 📍 OCC, Oregon Convention Center, Rooms C125–126

This workshop is designed to bring together researchers, students, and professionals who share an interest in bee biodiversity and taxonomy. This workshop aligns closely with the ongoing efforts by the U.S. National Native Bee Monitoring Research and Coordination Network. Our goals are to:

• Assess the current state of bee taxonomy and available resources.
• Identify key gaps and opportunities for collaboration.
• Explore how new technologies, data-standards, and socio-TECHNICAL practices can accelerate and enhance bee taxonomy.
• Develop a prioritized list of community-driven action items for post-meeting progress.

We will feature four invited talks followed by group discussions to spark ideas and build momentum:

1. The current state of bee taxonomy and bee taxonomic resources – Michael Branstetter & Victor Gonzalez (or TBD)
2. Innovative solutions to speed up and enhance bee taxonomic research – Katja Seltmann
3. Taxonomic resources and community building: Lessons from ants – Brian Fisher
4. TaxonWorks: A collaborative tool for building taxonomic catalogs – Matt Yoder

One focal initiative will be the development of a community-driven catalog of bee names, potentially using TaxonWorks as the underlying tool. To support this, we are also planning a pre-workshop TaxonWorks session to provide hands-on training and an overview of how such a catalog could be built and maintained.

🔎 Tentative workshop format

• Short introduction
• Four featured talks with guided discussions
• General discussion and conclusion to identify next steps

We warmly invite you to participate. To help us plan, please complete this short survey by September 25, 2025:
👉 Workshop Interest Survey

We look forward to seeing many of you in Portland and working together to strengthen the future of bee taxonomy!

Sincerely,
Michael Branstetter & Victor Gonzalez

Michael Branstetter
Research Entomologist
USDA ARS PWA | Pollinating Insects Research Unit
Office (BNR175)


Agricultural Research Service
5310 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
Office Number (BNR175)
p: +1 (435) 254-3591

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[Kit Prendergast]

Sadly I won’t be at EntSoc but I definitely endorse this ! (Is the survey only for those attending EntSoc or is it a general gauge of interest in hosting such workshops ?)

Dr Kit Prendergast

Native bee scientist, conservation biologist and zoologist

University of Southern QLD Postdoctoral Researcher (Pollination Ecology)

Adjunct Curtin University and Forrest Scholar Alumni

Find native bee resources and more on my Patreon The Bee Babette: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheBeeBabette

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1164-6099 

Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kit-Prendergast/research

YouTube channel The Bee Babette: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBeeBabette 

'Creating a Haven for Native Bees': https://www.facebook.com/CreatingaHavenforNativeBeesBook/

Wild Bee artwork: https://www.redbubble.com/people/BeeBabette/explore?asc=u&page=1&sortOrder=recent

Insta: @bee.babette_performer:

https://www.instagram.com/bee.babette_performer/?hl=en

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