UWs Biodiversity Institute to Host Bee Jubilee May 1

Pollination is responsible for providing about two-thirds of the foods we eat and nearly all of the wildflowers we admire. And bees are the most efficient pollinators.

The University of Wyoming Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center will be all abuzz with the Bee Jubilee Sunday, May 1, beginning at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Described as educational, kid-friendly and family fun, the Bee Jubilee includes a PBS documentary about bees, followed by a conversation with UW bee experts, and activities and crafts about bees including an opportunity to construct a bee hotel.

“Many people think only of honeybees when bees are mentioned, but our native bees are diverse in taxonomy and behavior, beautiful and, most importantly, are essential to maintain the habitats that we enjoy and that support us,” says Dorothy Tuthill, associate director of the UW Biodiversity Institute. “Our goal with the Bee Jubilee is to highlight bees and bee behavior through the spectacular photography in ‘My Garden of a Thousand Bees’ and to provide an opportunity to learn about Wyoming’s bees with the expertise of three UW graduate students and a variety of activities that promote knowledge and conservation of bees.”

The Bee Jubilee schedule is:

-- 1-2 p.m.: A film screening of “My Garden of a Thousand Bees,” a PBS “Nature” episode that was filmed in England. Discover the diverse species and personalities of bees that live in a British urban garden. For more information and for other screenings in Wyoming, go to www.wyomingpbs.org/thousandbees/.

-- 2-2:30 p.m.: A question-and-answer session titled “All About Bees” will be moderated by Tresize Tronstad, of the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, and will include discussions with UW graduate students who specialize in bumblebees, honeybees and pollination. Christine Bell, a UW student from Laramie, will discuss bumblebees; Madison Crawford, of Newcastle, will talk about pollination; and Michelle Weschler, of Orlando, Fla., will focus her talk on honeybees.

-- 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Learning stations include seed bomb making, insect display, selecting garden plants, bee hotel making and a community pollinator garden. Wildflower seeds, instructions and journals to track plants and pollinators will be distributed. Kids will be able to make crafts they can take home.

“At the Bee Jubilee, everyone can learn to observe and protect these amazing insects,” Tuthill says.

For more information about the Bee Jubilee, click here, or call Tuthill at (307) 766-6279 or email dtuthill@uwyo.edu.

The UW Biodiversity Institute fosters conservation of biodiversity through scientific discovery, creative dissemination, education and public engagement. In this setting, scientists, citizens, students and educators come together to share a wealth of perspectives on the study and appreciation of biodiversity -- from microbes to poetry and ecosystems to economics. Learn more at www.wyomingbiodiversity.org.