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Great Lakes bee news from Minnesota and Illinois
How many kinds of bees live in Minnesota? Researchers counted more than 500 species in a state checklist. In Illinois, a news report follows an environmental group seeking changes to pesticide use. Read the stories below for two different views of pollinator conservation in the Great Lakes region.
How did Minnesota document more than 500 bee species?
The Minnesota Biological Survey and the University of Minnesota built a state checklist using field surveys and verified specimens. From 2014 to 2023, teams sampled prairie and forest habitats to learn which species lived where. The list measures the variety of bees researchers have documented. Repeated observations of the same species over time can help answer a different question: whether it is becoming less common.
From the archives
Great Lakes bee news archive
Illinois environmental group seeks ban on pesticides harmful to bees
An Illinois group says toxic pesticides are causing irreversible damage to young, developing bees, putting the bee population in decline and food crops at risk.
Read the source article
Research finds “checklist” of over 500 bee species in Minnesota
Research conducted jointly by UMN and DNR re-counted and re-categorized every currently known bee species in the state.
Read the source articleLocal News. Local Action.
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