About Us
We are a group of partners interested in bumble bee conservation, particularly for rusty patched bumble bees. An important piece of conservation is knowing where our bumble bees are, how many there are and what is happening with their numbers and range.
Photo courtesy of Kim Mitchell; USFWS
Why an Annual Backyard Bumble Bee count?
Join others and provide essential data on bumble bee occurrences​
The purpose of the Backyard Bumble Count is to enlist the help of interested folks to help document bumble bee occurrence and relative abundance in the eastern United States. We are asking for photos to verify identifications for each species at each observation location - along with numbers of each species observed and the length of the observation time.
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We ask participants to photograph and count bumble bees on one or more days of the 10-day event and report their sightings online at inaturalist.org.
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Anyone can take part in the Backyard Bumble Bee Count, from beginners to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, a park, nature center or anywhere in the eastern United States.
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Each sighting and count submitted during the Backyard Bumble Bee Count helps researchers learn more about how bumble bees are doing and how to protect them and the environment we share.
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The 2nd annual Backyard Bumble Bee Count will be held Saturday, July 23, through Monday, August 1, 2023.