Sheila Colla: Planning for the future of the rusty patched bumble bee

This week on the podcast, I talk with Sheila Colla, assistant professor in Environmental Studies at York University. At the end of February, Sheila and other bee experts came together at the Minnesota Zoo to plan for the recovery and future of the rusty patched bumble bee. And Sheila fills us in on what happened at the meeting.

Sheila's graduate work first identified the drastic decline of this bumble bee and has been the foundation for protecting it as an endangered species in the United States. She has been an essential part of this ten-year journey towards recovery. And the recent conservation strategy meeting of bee experts is just the latest step in that journey.

Sheila Colla:
• Twitter @SaveWildBees
• Website www.savethebumblebees.ca

WEEKLY UPDATE
• Thousands of homeowners apply for Minnesota funding to turn lawns into bee-friendly habitats (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/3cWmufW

• Bumble bees hate pumpkin pollen, which may help pumpkins (Cornell University) https://bit.ly/3aPkpkc

• Flower faithful native bee makes a reliable pollinator (University of California, Riverside) https://bit.ly/2TPmjvH

• These tiny, plastic-munching caterpillars can clean up our world – but there's a catch (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2vTJrjv

EXTRA
• Pollinator License Plate online auction starts March 21 (Wild Friends NM) https://www.32auctions.com/WildFriends

Please subscribe to the Bee Report Podcast. Leave a 5-star rating and review. And visit TheBeeReport.com to sign up for the newsletter to stay connected to the world of bees.

Thoughts, questions or comments? Get in touch at tbr@bymattkelly.com.