Posts by Spencer Hardy 
Hymenoptera Hotels: Is This a Trend We Should Be Promoting?
You might know them as bee hotels. I’m talking about cavities for nesting insects, often made from bamboo or other hollow tubes.
Know Your 5: Bee Species That Pollinate Brambles Like Raspberry Flowers
There are many native brambles visited by a wide variety of bees, most of which are likely also in commercial plantings. Most brambles are moderately self-fertile and insect mediated pollination is important for uniform berry shape and for large, marketable fruit.
Know Your 5: Wild Pollinators for Stone Fruit Crops
Most stone fruit species bloom in early spring, when northeast weather conditions are often cool and unpredictable, so are likely more dependent on wild pollinators that are more tolerant of lower temperatures and windy conditions than Western Honey Bees.
Know Your 5: Wild Bees That Pollinate Blueberries
Both Northern Highbush and Lowbush Blueberries are widespread in the northeast and an important food for many wild bees. Bushes that have limited or no pollen transfer by bees will be small, ripening will be delayed, early fruit drop may result, and most berries would not meet market standard quality.
Know Your 5: Wild Bees That Pollinate Strawberries
By identifying and understanding the natural history of these bees, you can provide the specific habitat that will help to ensure resilient and abundant pollination services and the tasty treats that result.
Don’t Buy Those Baby Bees
A few bees from the internet aren’t likely to help your garden. In fact, there is a chance that box of bees could harm the wild, native bees that already inhabit your neighborhood.
Are Honey Bees Good?
As a wild bee biologist for VCE, I’ve spent the better part of the last five years studying, counting, and watching native bees, which are often overlooked in favor of their domesticated cousins.
Know Your Five Apple Pollinators
With more than 350 species of wild bees in Vermont, it’s daunting to understand them all. So let’s start with a beloved flowering tree that is all over Vermont’s commercial…
How I Became a Bee Expert
The summer after I graduated high school, I found a dream job. Kent Mcfarland had just launched the Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas and needed help tracking down Bumble Bees throughout the state.
Summer Bee Update: Four Years in, the Flood of New Species is Becoming a Trickle
We began our Vermont Bee Survey project in 2019, and since then we have discovered over 50 new species in the state! This year has been the slowest year yet, but that hasn’t stopped us from swinging our nets. Read on to learn about the highlights of the 2022 bee season so far!
Discover the Bees in Your Backyard this Spring
Spencer Hardy, VCE’s Vermont Wild Bee Survey Project Coordinator, shares a video from the field, and how you can get involved in the Vermont Wild Bee Survey.
