How to Be a Honey Bee Counter?

Bee pollinators are responsible for every third bite food we eat.

A study called The Great Sunflower Project, founded by Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn, strives to achieve an organized effort by thousands of citizen scientists to count bees in their personal sunflower gardens. These people are volunteer bee counters, and are making an impact in the scientific community for the better health of our planet's ecosystems. Honeybees are a keystone species and have a disproportionately significant impact on an ecosystem relative to their abundance. This is due mainly to the crucial role bees play in pollinator-plant relationships that sustain billions of dollars in agricultural revenue each year and are responsible for a third of our food consumption.

Things You'll Need

• Valid e-mail address
• Data sheet
• Sunflower seeds, variety Helianthus annuus

Instructions

1. Create your account on the website, www.thegreatsunflowerproject.org, using a valid e-mail address.

2. Choose the level of commitment you wish to participate in the study.

3. Order the seeds at your local store or from the project website, for the sunflower variety Helianthus annuus or "lemon queen." It's important that all bee counters observe interactions with the same variety of flower, because different variations might result in altered pollinator preference.

4. Plant seeds in appropriate soil and in a sunny area. Observation can begin once the seeds germinate and the flowers blossom.

5. Begin study over the weekend between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon. Record the temperature outside and the number of open flowers on your sunflower plant.

6. Check to see that the sunflowers you are observing have pollen in them by touching the center of the flower. If you see a light yellow dust residue on your finger, the flower can be observed for bee visitation.

7. Count the number of bees that visit your sunflower plant for 15 minutes or until you've recorded a maximum of five bees. Stop counting if you reach five bees before the 15 minutes is up.

8. Record your findings in the data sheets provided by the website and submit the data online by clicking the "Submit Sample" button. You can also mail the hard copies of your data to the address provided on the data sheets. If you don't see any bees in the 15-minute observation period, report the findings immediately. The main focus of the study is to find where bee populations are declining.

Tips & Warnings

• Be consistent with your weekly observations to establish a solid data set for submission to the project website.

References

• The Great Sunflower Project: Recording Sample Data
• Vegetus: The Ecology of the Honey Bee

Resources

• Nature: Silence of the Bees