It’s a whole lot easier to get involved in the conservation of our precious bumblebees than you might think. The newly launched interactive site BumbleBeeWatch.org allows anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to report sightings of our fuzzy friends from coast to coast. Whether it’s due to pesticides, global warming or urbanization, bumblebee populations have mysteriously plummeted. And although they don’t produce harvestable honey, bumblebees play an important ecological role, pollinating plants that humans eat. Now with this site, experts can track different bumblebee species, locations and populations (check out this bumblebee map that’s starting to fill in). Sheila Colla, a partner in Bumble Bee Watch, told Nature World News, “By locating rare bumble bee populations and collecting information on their ecological requirements, citizen scientists can help conserve these important insects.” Now that’s something we can all buzz about.
MORE: Turning to Open Source for Sweet Solutions to Bee Colony Collapse