UC Berkeley (Cal) grad Celeste Ets-Hokin has developed a mobile application – “Wild Bee Gardens” – to encourage people to provide habitat for wild bees. It is the first-known conservation app for North American native bees. Native bees are vital to plant pollination, but are increasingly edged out of habitat.
“Wild Bee Gardens” is an educational tool that teaches about the diversity of North American bees. The app pairs native bees with many of the flowers they frequent. Users of the app learn about the world of native bees and their floral habitat through text and some 300 photographs of native bees in habitat. Topics covered include:
- The role of native bees in our natural ecosystems
- The ecology and life cycles of native bees
- How to create a successful bee garden
- How to identify the native bee visitors that will appear in these gardens
You can read more about the app at the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources blog.