Published on 06/29/21

Georgia citizens help collect pollinator data across state

By Angela Hsiung

Later this summer, Georgia residents will have the opportunity to help researchers find out what’s the buzz with insect pollinators in their state.

The Great Georgia Pollinator Census, hosted by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, will be held this year on Aug. 20 and 21. During the census, Georgia citizens are asked to visit plants in their gardens or other spots frequented by insect pollinators and count how many pollinators they observe in a 15-minute window. Those who participate then submit their counts online via the census website.

The inaugural census was held in 2019, with great success. In 2020, census coordinators had to pivot due to the pandemic. Instead of focusing on schools and promoting census events across the state, “we concentrated on encouraging families to count at home together,” said Becky Griffin, community and school garden coordinator at UGA Extension, who spearheaded the census.

They also shared recipes online for foods that rely on insect pollination and even created a pollinator-themed Spotify playlist. In the end, 3,755 people representing 124 counties participated in the 2020 census, collecting close to 82,600 insect visit observations. Additionally, 525 new pollinator gardens have been created as part of the project.

Data collected for the pollinator census are currently being used by UGA researchers for economic valuation studies of pollination. Some are also used in classrooms for student projects.

The plan is to grow the census each year, continuing to educate Georgia citizens and adding more participants and pollinator habitat. When asked about this year’s census, Griffin is optimistic. “We have some new project partners, and schools are busy planning their counts,” she added. “I am excited about this year’s count!”

Angela Hsuing is a graduate research assistant in the integrative conservation doctoral program at UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Authors:

Angela Hsiung

Experts/Sources:

Becky Griffin

Insect pollinators, such as the carpenter bee pictured here, provide a suite of ecological services to people, such as pollinating crops and native plants, controlling pests, as well as helping aerate the soil for decomposition.

Rachel Tellano was a volunteer during the Great Georgia Pollinator Census in 2019. The census is a citizen science project that relies on observations collected by the public. Researchers who take advantage of citizen science are able to leverage scientific data collected by the public across a wider geographic scale, an undertaking that would normally be logistically difficult and expensive.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension partnered with several academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and public gardens for the pollinator census. Many of the partners held their own events with residents in the area to conduct pollinator counts at specific locations. Lauren Muller (right) is the Outreach Program Coordinator at State Botanical Garden of Georgia who coordinated several census events around Athens.

Cassie Armstrong (front) using the data collection sheet to record pollinators she observed during the count. No previous experience is required to participate in the census. Volunteers are provided with insect identification guides and asked to categorize the insects they observe into eight categories: bumble bees, honey bees, small bees, carpenter bees, wasps, flies, butterflies/moths and other insects.

Nikki Locke uses a smart phone to help her during the pollinator count. Cell phone cameras can often act as magnifiers to help counters identify the type of pollinators present on the plants.

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