What is Nest Quest? How does it work?

Minnesota Bumble Bee Nest Quest is a public participation science project created by the University of Minnesota Bee Lab to track bumble bee nesting and characterizing nesting habitat. Anyone is eligible to join the project and collect data on bumble bee nesting habitat needs to inform conservation action. Because bumble bee nests are difficult to find, we need volunteer help to gather more information on nesting bumble bee life. 

Volunteer scientists will adopt a grid cell in Minnesota, and choose a spot within that grid cell to create plots to survey for bumble bee nests. We call this a "Nest Quest!"

We offer workshops and training sessions to equip you with the skills necessary to survey for bumble bee nests and collect habitat data. Nest Quests can be done alone, or with a group of friends or family members. 

Learn more about upcoming 2026 trainings on our Events page. 

 Sign up for our email list! 

You can contact the Nest Quest team with questions or support us financially. 

Why bumble bees? 

Bumble bees are charismatic and easily recognizable pollinators thanks to their large size, loud buzz, and distinctive color patterns. They play an incredibly important role in sustaining the health or our environment by pollinating flowers in natural and urban areas, and by contributing to successful harvests on farms. 

Minnesota is home to 25 different bumble bee species. However, one out of three of our bumble bee species are in trouble and face an uncertain future. Minnesota is on of the few places where we still find the federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis). Although the rusty patched bumble bee was common through much of eastern North America until around 2000, there were only four published studies describing their nesting habitat before their decline. With more attention and resources available to study this species, more nests have been observed in recent years (Boone et al. 2022).

 Protection of potential nesting sites is particularly important as bumble bee colonies do not reproduce until colonies grow large enough to produce new queens, the only bumble bees capable of surviving the winter and producing next year's colonies. Species recovery depends on the success of nests to produce new queens. 

Several other Minnesota native species listed as critically endangered, including Ashton's cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus ahtoni/bohemicus), southern plains bumble bee (Bombus fraternus), Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and variable cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus variabilis). Another three species are listed as vulnerable: the golden northern bumble bee (Bombus fervidus), the American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), and the yellow banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola). 

The causes of bumblebee declines are not fully understood, but habitat loss, pesticides, pathogens, parasites, poor nutrition, and climate change are likely at fault. Regardless of the ultimate cause of bumble bee declines, protecting and managing existing habitat or creating new habitat can help to protect bumble bees, along with another important action - collecting data.