Multiple new bee species found in Pennsylvania for first time

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (KDKA) — Multiple new species of bees never before found in the commonwealth have been reported by community scientists through a Penn State-led monitoring program. 

The program was designed to document regional patterns of bee biodiversity. A study published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America found that the 26 trained volunteers were more than twice as effective at documenting bee diversity than thousands of users of the photo-based app iNaturalist. 

Penn State says the volunteers received extensive training from experts before collecting more than 9,000 bees over the course of almost a year and a half. During the same time, more than 2,200 people using iNaturalist collected about 6,800 observations where at least two people agreed. 

The volunteers found two and a half times more bee species than the app users. Their data resulted in seven state records, which means they found bees that had never been recorded in Pennsylvania, as well as more than 660 county records.

Researchers said one of the biggest takeaways from the study is that it shows the value of establishing meaningful partnerships for community science — especially when it comes to collecting data on something as important as bees. 

"More than 80% of flowering plants rely on pollinators like bees to reproduce," Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement on Penn State's website. "Apples, peaches, berries, pumpkins, grapes and many other high-value Pennsylvania crops depend on bees, as does our $4.1 billion nursery and landscaping industry. 

"In so many of our communities, our jobs and livelihoods revolve around producing foods that rely on pollination. The data in this report illustrate the value of citizen science in making sure we can protect pollinators and produce food in the future."