A Tricolored Bumble Bee taken by the B-Team last year. (Submitted photo)

SHERBURNE — Calling all bee enthusiasts! The B-Team Community Science Project is up and flying at Rogers Center.

Started in 2023, this initiative’s first goal is to document which of New York’s 450 species of native bees are present in Central New York. It is hoped that some species that are rare, in decline, or undocumented in the 21st century may still be found.

Rogers Center needs your help documenting these native bees. Snap photos and “bee” a part of a movement that cares about local pollinators. Anyone interested in joining The B-Team can contact the project lead, Charlie Tourbaf, for more information.

All you need is a digital camera or smartphone and the iNaturalist app downloaded to your phone and/or computer. If you do not have a smartphone, that is okay; you can take pictures and email them to Charlie Tourbaf at ctourbaf@colgate.edu with the date, time, and coordinates of the pictures. Now, you are ready to photograph and upload photos of bees at Rogers Center.

Make sure geolocation is turned on in the iNaturalist app, and your pictures will automatically be added to the Rogers Center B-Team project. Please note that bees are most active from sunrise to late afternoon between April and October.

For those wanting to learn the best tips and tricks for photographing bees, Rogers Center will be hosting its first B-Team meetings on June 29 and July 13 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. During these meetings, Friends of Rogers staff will teach you how to use the iNaturalist app and submit photos manually for the project. At the end of the meeting, you will have time to search the Rogers Center trails with other interested peers for buzzing neighbors.

This project is an opportunity to gain volunteer hours, conduct field research, learn about native bees, and collaborate on a conservation project. Those who participate and contribute to the project will be welcome at an end-of-summer B-Team Picnic to celebrate the project’s progress.

Want to do more? The B-Team is currently looking for lead volunteers to help run and grow the

project. For more information, visit the B-Team website at www.friendsofrogers.org/the-b-team, call

607-674-4733, or email Charlie Tourbaf at ctourbaf@colgate.edu with any questions.

The mission of the Friends of Rogers is to provide outstanding educational opportunities that excite, inspire, and motivate people of all ages to enjoy, understand, appreciate, and protect our natural environment.

-Information provided by Friends of Rogers