UGA Is Looking For People To Count Bees, Butterflies And Wasps

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The University of Georgia is looking for people willing to count pollinators on August 24-25

Next month, thousands of Georgians will be participating in the country’s first ever citizen-led pollinator census.

The University of Georgia is calling on volunteers to count bees, wasps and butterflies in their own backyards. On Aug. 23 and 24, participants will be making history when they record that data for the university.

“You’re going to set your timer, and you’re going to count the insects that land on that plant in a 15-minute window,” Becky Griffin said. Griffin is an entomologist and the UGA pollinator census coordinator.

After a successful pilot program last year with 50 participants from the Athens school system, Griffin is ready to take this program statewide.

“For the pilot project, our goal was to marry getting good data and having... (participants) that are not Ph.D. entomologists,” Griffin said.

Griffin said this project has three goals: educating the public, promoting the preservation of pollinator habitats and establishing a baseline to study future trends in Georgia pollinators.

“By the end of the project, on counting days, my hope is that everyone who participates actually did a little bit of research and learned how to tell the difference between a bee and a fly, and actually noticed how many wasps were pollinating their gardens,” Griffin said.

Solo census takers only need a Wi-Fi connection to participate. National state parks and public school systems will be holding group counts for those who don’t.

To participate in the pollinator count, visit GGaPC.org