Chapter Events

 
 
While there is quite a buzz these days about protecting our honeybees  many people don?t realize the importance of our native bee populations. There are over 20,000 named species of bees in the world, and 4,000 of these species are found in the United States.  In the Chicagoland region alone, there are over 400 named bee species which include bumble bees, leaf cutter bees, sweat bees, carpenter bees and squash bees, to name just a few.  
Native bees are a vital part of our ecosystem, and they have an especially important relationship to our native plants. Just like honeybees, a number of factors including pesticides, habitat loss and climate change are contributing to the decline of native bees.  It is essential that individuals and organizations learn more about our native bees and what we can do to protect them.  One example is the rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, which is now listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
Current bee conservation efforts, such as BeeSpotter.org and the U.S.G.S. Bee Monitoring and Inventory Lab, are helping to identify native bees and monitor their populations.  Find out what you can do in your own gardens to help protect and conserve these beautiful creatures that are an essential element of our ecosystem. 
 
Jean Foley has her Bachelor?s degree from Northern Illinois University.  She works at the College of Lake County where she recently completed an Associate?s Degree in Horticulture Production and is now working towards a Landscape Design Certificate.  Through her studies, she has had the opportunity to be involved in research on native plants and their pollinators. Jean is very interested in spreading the word about the importance of native bees, as well as native plants.
 
 
Speaker: Jean Foley

 
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