Host: Jeremy Hemberger, UW Madison Department of Entomology

How does the world look from the perspective of a bumblebee? These cute, fuzzy insects zip around their landscape, gathering pollen and nectar for their wiggly, grub-like sisters. How do these resourceful ladies do it? In the world of bees, the females run the show. The queen lays the eggs and tends to the larvae, while her clone-daughters, called workers, do the housekeeping, grocery shopping, and even play police officers for unruly, nest-disturbers like badgers. UW Madison graduate student Jeremy Hemberger spends his days working with these adorable, and essential animals. His research examines the behavioral patterns of colonies of bumblebees, and he tracks them with small radio tags. Join him at the Pope Farm Conservancy to learn about bumblebees, the plants that sustain them, and how their environment affects them. Together, you’ll explore his active research project, and see how bumblebees are tracked using radio frequency idenfication. Additionally, Jeremy will discuss the other, closely related wild bee species that share the Conservancy with the humble bumblebee.

 Meet near the lower parking lot on Old Sauk Road.

All FOPFC tours are free and open to the public. No registration is necessary.