Science on Tap at the Kiggins: Bees, Bees, Bees

The next Science on Tap at the Kiggins Theatre is 7 p.m. April 10. The topic is “Bees! Gardening, Citizen Science and the Washington Bee Atlas” with entomologist Karen Wright. Tickets are $15 to $45 at kigginstheatre.com/movie/science-on-tap-bees.

There are 600-700 species of bees in Washington and Oregon. Native bees are very different, but we know very little about their status. What flowers do they pollinate? Where and when do they nest? How can we use our gardens to support them? Washington has implemented the Washington Bee Atlas to find out more. These community science groups train volunteers to collect, pin, and label bee specimens. Many of the volunteers have no science or entomology background. They post data through the app iNaturalist, providing date, location, collector and host plant information. The specimens are then identified by professionals, deposited at WSU or OSU insect collections, and the data made public. For more information on this event or about Science on Tap, visit Science on Tap OR WA.