Learn New England Bee Identification!
The primary goal of the New England Bee Identification Course is to improve field-level identification for New England bees and understand key taxonomical differences between bee families, genera, and species in the region. Students will come away with a skillset to identify certain bees to the species level in the field, some more complicated species to the genus level, and especially complex bee species to the family or tribe level.
This course is composed of six in-person workshops held on UMass Amherst campus from May through September 2026.
Schedule
- Workshop 1 (May 9): Green Bees (subgroup in Halictidae)
- Workshop 2 (June 6): Bumblebees (Bombus)
- Workshop 3 (July 11): Andrenidae (Mining bees)
- Workshop 4 (July 25): Halictidae (morning), Megachilidae (afternoon)
- Workshop 5 (August 22): Non-Bumblebee Apids (e.g., long-horned bees, carpenter bees)
- Workshop 6 (Sept 5): Colletidae/Melittidae, course wrap-up
There will be short supplemental pre-recorded lectures and additional resources online, on Canvas Catalog, to be completed before each workshop.
Each in-person lab day will include lectures from our taxonomy expert instructors, hands-on identification workshops under a microscope, and group discussion. Breakfast and lunch will be served.
Registration
Online registration closes when all 17 spots are full. A waitlist will be maintained.
Two weeks before each in-person workshop, participants will gain access to the prerecorded supplemental materials in Canvas Catalog, the online learning platform where the digital portion of the program is housed.
Email [email protected] for logistical questions or to pay via PO. Email [email protected] for content related questions.
Online registration, within registration closing once the 17 spots have been filled. A waitlist will be maintained. Two weeks before each in-person workshop, participants will gain access to the prerecorded supplemental materials in Canvas Catalog, the online learning platform where the digital portion of the program is housed. Email harmonieolou[at]umass[dot]edu (harmonieolou[at]umass[dot]edu) to pay via PO.