UMass Pollinators

UMass Pollinators Pollinator outreach and education for the people, growers, and land managers of Massachusetts.

Bee hotels are popular! 🏡 While pre-made houses make a quick addition to habitat, active management and thoughtful const...
09/09/2026

Bee hotels are popular! 🏡 While pre-made houses make a quick addition to habitat, active management and thoughtful construction are necessary to maximize pollinator support.

🐝 Interested to learn more? Visit the Educational Briefs tab on our website to learn more!

UMass.edu/Pollinators 🔗

Fall registration is OPEN for the Pollinator Steward Certification Program! 🍂➡️ Swipe to learn more about what’s offered...
09/01/2026

Fall registration is OPEN for the Pollinator Steward Certification Program! 🍂

➡️ Swipe to learn more about what’s offered in the program, along with professional credits available.

🔗 Visit the link in our bio to learn more and register.

Questions? Email 📩 [email protected]

The Late Summer 2026 edition of POLLINATOR BUZZ has been posted.IN THIS ISSUE 🐝 Featured Pollinator: Eastern Giant Swall...
08/21/2026

The Late Summer 2026 edition of POLLINATOR BUZZ has been posted.

IN THIS ISSUE 
🐝 Featured Pollinator: Eastern Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)
🎙 PolliNation Podcast: Millions of Solitary Bees in a Cemetery
🌱 Field Scouting: Who’s Foraging Right Now?
❓️ Q&A: Bee Hotels
📣 Recap: Walkabouts at the Arnold Arboretum and Berkshire Botanical Garden
🌿 Programming: Pollinator Steward Certification Program Fall Cohort & Pollinator Habitat Certification
📚 Educational Brief: Bombus fervidus: A Species of Great Conservation Need

Pollinator Buzz is a quarterly newsletter, discussing what bees are doing right now, student research, recent pollinator-related discoveries, and beyond! Archives are available on the UMass Extension website.

Photo: Yellow bumble bee female (Bombus fervidus) nectaring on red clover. Photo by Nicole Bell/UMass Ext

🔗Subscribe to our newsletters by visiting the link in our bio!

Did you know we have a NEW! Pollinator Habitat Certification? 🪴 Eligible sites must meet requirements for straight-speci...
08/17/2026

Did you know we have a NEW! Pollinator Habitat Certification? 🪴 Eligible sites must meet requirements for straight-species native plants, nest site availability, and management commitments.

➡️ Want to learn more? Visit the link in our bio.

📸 Photos provided by and Shannon B. (1, 2) and Karen W. (3)

Mountain mint attracts a wide array of nectar-seeking insects this time of year, like the golden digger wasp (Sphex ichn...
08/06/2026

Mountain mint attracts a wide array of nectar-seeking insects this time of year, like the golden digger wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) seen on the cover. They forage alongside other wasps, honeybees, native bees, flies, and butterflies.


📸 Nicole Bell/UMass Ext

Bee balm is a marker of midsummer in Massachusetts. We have two species native in MA: M. fistulosa (most common) and M. ...
07/27/2026

Bee balm is a marker of midsummer in Massachusetts. We have two species native in MA: M. fistulosa (most common) and M. punctata (rare). Another commonly planted species is M. didyma, which is native to the east coast but not New England.

Swipe to see some big visitors — a robber (Xylocopa virginica), a bee of conservation concern (Bombus fervidus), and a common bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis).

Ground-nesting bees aren’t the only ones that need soil to build a home! ☝️ Mason bees, in the genus Osmia, collect mud ...
07/20/2026

Ground-nesting bees aren’t the only ones that need soil to build a home! ☝️ Mason bees, in the genus Osmia, collect mud balls to partition cells and plug their nest entrance.

Swipe to learn more and see collection in action. 🏡

📸 Cover photo courtesy of Jennifer Bosvert. Video courtesy of Casey Johnson.

The return of warmer seasons means ‘What’s in Bloom?’ is back! ☝️🌸 Rhododendrons are a popular ornamental plant, includi...
05/04/2026

The return of warmer seasons means ‘What’s in Bloom?’ is back! ☝️

🌸 Rhododendrons are a popular ornamental plant, including varieties in the ‘P.J.M’ group, but did you know Massachusetts is home to several native azalea species?

➡️ Swipe to learn more.


📸Nicole Bell/UMass Ext

Spring, summer, and fall ahead mean ‘What’s in Bloom?’ is back! ☝️Rhododendrons are an incredibly popular ornamental pla...
05/04/2026

Spring, summer, and fall ahead mean ‘What’s in Bloom?’ is back! ☝️

Rhododendrons are an incredibly popular ornamental plant in Massachusetts — popular varieties like ‘P.J.M.’ can still provide important resources to many native bees, but did you know we have several native rhododendrons in the state?

➡️ Swipe to learn more.


📸Nicole Bell/UMass Ext

Summer registration is OPEN! 😎🏖️🐝 From now through May 31, register online for the Pollinator Steward Certification. ➡️ ...
05/01/2026

Summer registration is OPEN! 😎🏖️🐝 From now through May 31, register online for the Pollinator Steward Certification.

➡️ Swipe to learn more about the program and professional credits available.

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Amherst, MA
01002

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