Understanding Alaska’s Native Bees

For many years, scientists had limited knowledge about the native bees of Alaska.

On a warm July afternoon near Fairbanks, a volunteer from the Alaska Bee Atlas carefully uses a net to gather bees from a patch of blooming fireweed. One small bumblebee lands in the net, representing one of the many specimens collected each summer throughout the state. This simple act is part of a larger initiative: Alaskans collaborating to learn about the bees essential for pollination in the North.