Nest Quest News

Queens and workers can be seen collecting foraging for pollen and nectar. Colonies are growing and observations are being reported to Bumble Bee Watch and iNaturalist. See some details on some early nests here. 

Spring is in full swing, and bumble bee queens can be seen regularly. You may have also noticed queens investigating holes in the ground, under logs, or fallen trees. When do queens establish their nest, and how can we tell?

Turning a project statewide is a big task, especially for a state as big and ecologically diverse as Minnesota. To inform our transition to statewide surveys, we turned to a study by Juliet Osborne et al. published in 2008 from the United Kingdom.