Beecology APK

Initial Release

Wild pollinators have declined in abundance, diversity, and geographic distribution at an alarming rate over recent years. These declines pose a significant threat to ecosystem health and biodiversity, yet we currently lack critical ecological information needed to develop effective conservation and restoration strategies for threatened species. The Beecology app for Android devices aims to fill this gap by recruiting citizen scientists across eastern North America to digitally collect and submit ecological data on bumblebee pollinators while they forage for floral resources in the wild. Specifically, the app enables users to either import or take pictures/videos of bumblebee-flower interactions on their mobile device from anywhere, edit the acquired digital image, and then follow a step-by-step guide to ID the bumblebee to the species level. Users also input their location, date, name of the floral species, floral traits, and the type of bee foraging behavior (nectar versus pollen collection). All digital information is logged on the phone and when the user is ready, it is transferred via cellular carrier or WIFI to our secure public data base at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester MA). Users can then access all submissions to the database in order to learn more about the status and ecological needs of different species in their geographic location. The Beecology app will thus contribute valuable information on the diversity and health of bumblebee pollination systems and importantly, help to keep native ecosystems buzzing for years to come! Visit beecology.wpi.edu for more information.