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Native Buzz: Citizen scientists creating nesting habitat for solitary bees and wasps

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A citizen science project was developed to encourage homeowners and others to build and monitor artificial nesting habitats for solitary bees and wasps. Social media applications were used to recruit participants and provide forums for social discussion and participation. Between April 2012 and July 2014, 268 individuals and 19 groups registered for the Native Buzz project at www.ufnativebuzz.com for a total combined membership of 655 participants. Participants were located in 30 counties in Florida as well as 38 other states and 10 additional countries. Participants had designed, built and monitored 68 artificial nest sites by July 2014. During the two-year study period, the sites collectively contained over 10,657 potential nests constructed from a variety of materials and established within a variety of ecosystems. Comments solicited from participants were used to identify future needs, motivating factors and challenges associated with implementing an ‘‘insect-oriented’’ citizen science project. Results of this study indicate that technology-based citizen science projects of this type can effectively recruit non-scientist citizens to create artificial nesting habitats for solitary bees and wasps and provide a useful platform for helping entomological researchers collect solitary bee and wasp nesting data from a large geographic range via data provided by volunteer citizen scientists.
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 Invited Contribution: Citizen Science Programs in Florida Native Buzz: Citizen scientists creating nesting habitat for solitary bees and wasps Jason R. Graham (1) , Qin Tan (1) , Linda C. Jones (2) , and James D. Ellis (1) (1) University of Florida, Entomology Nematology Department, PO Box 110620, Bldg. 970 Natural Area Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611 (2) University of Florida, College of Education, PO Box 117048, 2423 Norman Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611 Abstract  A citizen science project was developed to encourage homeowners and others to build and monitor artifi cial nesting habitats for solit ary bees and wasps. Social media applicati ons were used to recruit participants and provide forums for social discussion and participation. Between April 2012 and July 2014, 268 individuals and 19 groups registered for the  Native Buzz  project at www.ufnativebuzz.com for a total combined membership of 655 participants. Participants were located in 30 counties in Florida as well as 38 other states and 10 additional countries. Participants had designed, built and monitored 68 artificial nest sites by July 2014. During the two-year study period, the sites collectively contained over 10,657 potential nests constructed from a variety of materials and established within a variety of ecosystems. Comments solicited from participants were used to identify future needs, motivating factors and challenges associated with implementing an ‘‘insect-oriented’’ citizen science project. Results of this study indicate that technology-based citizen science projects of this type can effectively recruit non-scientist citizens to create artificial nest ing habi tats for soli tary be es and wasps and provide a usef ul pl at form for helping entomological res ear che rs col lec t sol ita ry bee and was p nes ting data from a lar ge geogra phi c range via data provided by volunteer citizen scientists. Keywords  Bee, wasp, solitary, citizen science, alternative pollinators, social media,  Native Buzz Introduction Until 2014, only four of Florida’s 67 counties had been methodically surveyed by trai ned entomolog ists to docume nt their diversity of bees and wasps: Alachua County (Serrano 2006, Hall and Ascher 2010, Hall and Ascher 2011, Graham 2014), Miami-Dade County (Graenicher 1930; Pascarella et al. 1999), Highlands County (Krombein 1967, Deyrup et al. 2002), and Monroe County (Pas carell a et al . 1999 ). Each of these survey proj ec ts wa s li mi ted by both temporal and geographic ranges, within which it was logistically feasible for a single or small group of trained entomologists to conduct the research. Florida is a large and ecologically diverse state; thus monitoring each county in Florida continuously for a long-term study would be too time consuming and costly for any one researcher or small team of researchers to undertake. However, by us in g vol un tee rs in a ci ti zen sc ie nce pro je ct, mon it or in g eac h co un ty Corresponding author: Jason R. Graham, [email protected] 204 authors copy: not for redistribution
Transcript
Native Buzz: Citizen scientists creating nesting habitat for solitary
bees and wasps
Jason R. Graham(1), Qin Tan(1), Linda C. Jones(2), and James D. Ellis(1)
(1)University of Florida, Entomology Nematology Department, PO Box 110620, Bldg. 970 Natural
Area Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611 (2)University of Florida, College of Education, PO Box 117048, 2423 Norman Hall, Gainesville, FL
32611
Abstract  A citizen science project was developed to encourage homeowners and others to build
and monitor artificial nesting habitats for solitary bees and wasps. Social media applications were
used to recruit participants and provide forums for social discussion and participation. Between
April 2012 and July 2014, 268 individuals and 19 groups registered for the  Native Buzz  project at
www.ufnativebuzz.com for a total combined membership of 655 participants. Participants were
located in 30 counties in Florida as well as 38 other states and 10 additional countries. Participants
had designed, built and monitored 68 artificial nest sites by July 2014. During the two-year study
period, the sites collectively contained over 10,657 potential nests constructed from a variety of 
materials and established within a variety of ecosystems. Comments solicited from participants
were used to identify future needs, motivating factors and challenges associated with implementing
an ‘‘insect-oriented’’ citizen science project. Results of this study indicate that technology-based
citizen science projects of this type can effectively recruit non-scientist citizens to create artificial
nesting habitats for solitary bees and wasps and provide a useful platform for helping
entomological researchers collect solitary bee and wasp nesting data from a large geographic
range via data provided by volunteer citizen scientists.
Keywords   Bee, wasp, solitary, citizen science, alternative pollinators, social media,  Native Buzz
Introduction
Until 2014, only four of Florida’s 67 counties had been methodically surveyed
by trained entomologists to document their diversity of bees and wasps:
Alachua County (Serrano 2006, Hall and Ascher 2010, Hall and Ascher 2011,
Graham 2014), Miami-Dade County (Graenicher 1930; Pascarella et al. 1999),
Highlands County (Krombein 1967, Deyrup et al. 2002), and Monroe County
(Pascarella et al. 1999). Each of these survey projects was limited by both
temporal and geographic ranges, within which it was logistically feasible for a
single or small group of trained entomologists to conduct the research. Florida
is a large and ecologically diverse state; thus monitoring each county in Florida
continuously for a long-term study would be too time consuming and costly for
any one researcher or small team of researchers to undertake. However, by
using volunteers in a citizen science project, monitoring each county
Corresponding author: Jason R. Graham, [email protected]
204
 
concurrently and over many field seasons is possible and cost-effective.
Through the University of Florida   Native Buzz   Project, citizen participants
were invited to contribute to the research and conservation of solitary bees and
wasps by creating habitat to encourage nesting, collecting data on the diversity
and nesting preferences of solitary bees and wasps, and sharing the data
collected with others.
Solitary bees and wasps.  Many species of solitary bees and wasps nest in
preexisting cavities in plant material such as hollow reeds, stems, and branches
and in holes created by wood-boring insects and woodpeckers. Solitary bees
and wasps will also nest in a variety of inexpensive and accessible man-made
materials, making it easy and affordable to create artificial nest sites. Examples
include drilling holes in wood, clay or blocks of cement or using cylinders made
out of cut bamboo, paper tubes, or plastic straws. The main requirement is
simply a tunnel or tube-like structure with an appropriately sized length (,7– 
20 cm) and entrance (,3–10 mm inside diameter). Since the earliest accounts of 
their use, artificial nest sites, or trap nests as they are sometimes called, have
provided much of the known life history of tunnel-nesting, solitary bees and
wasps (Krombein 1967).
Previous investigators using nesting sites have found that tunnel-nesting,
solitary bees will first locate an appropriate cavity, collect pollen and nectar to
provision the cavity, lay an egg on the pollen/nectar ball, and then create a cell by
sealing off the egg with its provision. This process is continued until the cavity is
filled with cells, at which point the parent bee seals the nest and searches for
another cavity (Cane 2008). Artificial nest sites have been used to show that
tunnel-nesting, solitary wasp species collect specific arthropod prey such as
caterpillars, crickets, and spiders (O’Neill 2001). The wasps paralyze their prey
by stinging it and then bring the paralyzed prey to preexisting tunnels they have
selected for nests. Each parent wasp then lays an egg on the prey, seals the cell
and continues the process much the same as solitary bees (O’Neill 2001).
Solitary bees and wasps are valuable natural resources due to the
ecosystem services of pollination and biological control that they provide,
respectively. Bees are important pollinators of a large variety of wild and
cultivated flowering plants, including many plants/fruits eaten by people. Most
solitary wasps also visit flowers for nectar and to hunt prey; therefore, they
may contribute to the pollination of agricultural crops (Spradbery 1973,
O’Neill 2001). Solitary wasps also feed on, and thus help to control,
herbivorous insect pests (Spradbery 1973, O’Neill 2001). Furthermore, unlike
social bees and wasps, solitary bees and wasps are not aggressive or defensive
of their nests. Thus, there is little-to-no threat of stings from multiple guard
bees or wasps when studying solitary bees and wasps (Evans and Eberhard
1970, O’Neill 2001). This makes solitary bees and wasps relatively safe model
organisms for studying biology, plant/insect interactions, and ecology (Spevak
2012) and makes them excellent candidates for insect-focused citizen science
projects.
Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014     Florida Academy of Sciences   205
 
Citizen science.  Citizen science projects are research collaborations in which
typically unpaid, volunteer participants, regardless of their lack of previous
scientific training, are encouraged to assist in scientific research as a crowd-
sourced research method (Irwin 1995). Since the early 1900s, citizen science
projects have become increasingly respected in the scientific community. A
single literature review in 2012 found that data collected by citizen science
projects were used in over 300 peer-reviewed published manuscripts (Catlin-
Groves 2012). Citizen science is a natural fit for studies with important
conservation or education implications because the target audience takes
ownership of the problem and becomes the voice of the project, thus impacting
public opinion and ultimately public policy (Dickenson et al. 2012). As a
community-based monitoring program, citizen science is an excellent tool for
detecting rare organisms, tracking non-native invasive insects, and observing
population events (Hochachka et al. 2012).
There are many examples of biologically-oriented, citizen science projects
that successfully facilitate the gathering of data via their participants. The
Audubon Society uses a citizen science approach for their project entitled
Christmas Bird Count, a project that began in 1900 and continues today. This
project has resulted in one of the temporally longest ecological datasets on
record for the field of ornithology (Greenwood 2007). Citizen science projects
focused on monitoring populations of insects have proven successful even in
underdeveloped countries using limited resources (Braschler 2009). As an
example, developers of the Iimbovane Outreach Project monitor ant diversity in
different biomes of the Western Cape Province, South Africa and the project
is driven by 10th grade life science learners who collect the ants, work with
the data and interact with educators and scientists to explain patterns of 
biodiversity (http://www0.sun.ac.za/Iimbovane/).
Citizen science projects have also helped in the discovery of rare species. A
participant of  The Lost Ladybug Project, a lady beetle-themed citizen science
project, found a rare nine-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella novemnotata)
representing the first specimen known to science from North America in
10 years (Losey et al. 2007). Volunteers participating in   The Monarch Larva
Monitoring Project   (1) established sites in natural areas and reported the
number of eggs and larvae observed, the number of plants examined, and the
stadium of larvae observed, (2) compared monarch density on milkweed to
other nearby plants, (3) collected larvae to rear and estimate parasitism rates,
and (4) collected weather data (Oberhauser and Prysby 2008).
UF Native Buzz .   Several entomological researchers have used artificial nest
sites to evaluate the biodiversity, population dynamics, and habitat use of 
wood-nesting bees and wasps (Tylianakis et al. 2005, Loyola and Martins 2006,
Matos et al. 2013, among many others). These investigators have found that
the diversity and nesting preferences of solitary bees and wasps differ by
location, habitat and landscape context. The   UF Native Buzz Project   was
created to combine the monitoring potential of artificial nest sites with the
Graham et al.   Native Buzz 
206   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences
 
citizen science approach for collecting solitary bee and wasp nesting preference
and diversity data. This project, if run over multiple years and across a large
geographic area, could provide valuable insights into the population dynamic
trends of many species of solitary bees and wasps while simultaneously
fostering  de facto  conservation efforts for these beneficial insects.
Methods
Social media development.   Initially, a Facebook page was developed for the project in
September 2011 and managed several times weekly (www.Facebook.com/NBNSProject) to
generate public interest, recruit participants and facilitate online conversation. Next, a Twitter
page was created and linked directly to the Facebook page whereby each Facebook status update
was automatically tweeted and no further maintenance was required (https://twitter.com/
ufnativebuzz). A Pinterest board was also developed (http://pinterest.com/buzzn/wwwufnative-
buzzcom/) to provide additional ideas for nesting sites and materials. As interesting nest site
photos, instructions or articles were discovered, they were shared with all project participants via
Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest in order to inspire participants and provide concrete examples of 
the many creative ways they could create their own nesting habitat for solitary bees and wasps. The
Facebook page was also used as an open forum, allowing participants to post related photos,
articles, links, questions, opinions and experiences.
Website development.   In January 2012, the design and construction of a website began in order
to facilitate the training of participants, collection of data, and house the citizen science project.
First, other citizen science website workflows were examined and features that best suited the
current project’s goals and needs were identified. Ultimately, the website and workflow were
modeled loosely after those used by both the  Philly Tree Map  (http://www.phillytreemap.org/) and
School of Ants   (http://schoolofants.org) citizen science projects. Administrators and developers of 
these citizen science projects were contacted for advice on how to build a website utilizing these
features. The features utilized by  Native Buzz  are compared to those utilized by other citizen science
websites in Table 1 (Prestopnik and Crowston 2012a).
The website was built using Microsoft Visual Studio and the SQL (Structured Query
Language) Server. The website was then hosted on the entomology.ifas.ufl.edu server with the
domain name www.ufnativebuzz.com. Graphics and photos were created or modified using Adobe
Photoshop. The main features incorporated into the website design included an interactive ‘‘Buzz
Map,’’ participation methods, participant forms, a variety of participant resources, and photo
galleries. The website was launched and immediately began accepting participants in April 2012.
Website components.   The use of online maps as graphical databases representing the
monitoring results of citizen science projects has been suggested in order to help increase
participant engagement and retention and to facilitate the participants’ views of themselves as an
important part of a much larger research team (Delaney et al. 2008). With this in mind, a ‘‘Buzz
Map’’ was designed using the Google Maps/Earth engine. Each nest site is represented on the map
with a clickable point (for private sites, i.e., in residential back yards) or pin (for sites in public
areas). When the pin or point is selected, a small window appears with a photo of the site (if 
uploaded by the user) and links to information about the bee(s) or wasp(s) found utilizing that
particular nest site (see Figure 1). This map was embedded on the home page of the website. As
participants registered, they had the option to have their nest site and associated data added to the
map or opt out of this feature and have their nest site and associated data hidden from the map.
In order to provide participants with the most helpful tools for this particular type of citizen
science project, a ‘‘Resources’’ tab was created leading to four pages: Building Plans, ID Guides,
Library, and Suppliers. The ‘‘Building Plans’’ page provided downloadable (or uploadable) do-it-
yourself building plans for different nest site types. The ‘‘ID Guides’’ page provided links to
Native Buzz    Graham et al.
Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014     Florida Academy of Sciences   207
 
websites offering taxonomic identification assistance as well as virtual and printable keys and
guides. The ‘‘Library’’ page provided images of the covers of a wide range of reading material
which, when selected, opened a link to a site where that material could be purchased or downloaded
for free and the ‘‘Suppliers’’ page offered a list of commercial suppliers of nest sites and nest site
materials.
Participant submissions.   The   Native Buzz   artificial nest sites were intended to be easy for
participants of all skill levels and ages to build with readily available and inexpensive or repurposed
nesting materials. Participants were provided with examples of nest site types, instructions for
designing and building their own nest sites, and the option of purchasing the nest sites from
commercial suppliers. Participants were encouraged to create nest sites with tubes or tunnels with
entrances of various sizes, including small (3.18 mm), medium (4.76 mm) and large (9.53 mm) inside
diameters (ID), and tube lengths or tunnel depths between 7.6 mm to 20.3 mm. Beyond these
parameters, nest site design was left up to the participants. The intent was for the process to be fun
from the beginning and allow the constructed nest sites to become a form of creative expression for
the participants.
Table 1. Website features utilized by 27 other citizen science websites as evaluated by Prestopnik
and Crowston (2012a) compared to features utilized by the UF Native Buzz website (www.
ufnativebuzz.com).
Education 18 Yes
Team/Staff Information 16 Yes
Email List 5 Yes (Admin Only)
Participant Scores and Stats 5 Yes
Photo/Image Gallery 5 Yes
Calendar 2 No
Page Translation 2 No
Graham et al.   Native Buzz 
208   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences
 
Participants were asked to monitor their nest site(s) on a weekly basis to avoid missing data. A
monitoring event consisted of looking at the tunnels and tubes to see if any nests were sealed (i.e.,
sealed with a substance such as mud or leaves, thus indicating a completed nest), checking to see if 
existing, sealed nests had produced emerging adults, and then recording this data. A printable  Data
Monitoring Form  was provided to assist in data collection. When a new, sealed nest was detected,
participants were asked to complete certain fields on the form to create a label and then place the
label inside a collection vial. They were then asked to collect adult bees and wasps as they emerged
from their nests using the collection instructions provided.
When a bee or wasp emerged from a nest, participants then completed the remainder of the
monitoring form and included information such as the date the nest was sealed, the date an adult
insect emerged, the type of material in which the nest was built, the type of material used to seal the
Figure 1. A screen shot of the interactive ‘‘Buzz Map’’ showing a portion of the map with pins and
points representing public and private sites, respectively. When a point or pin is selected, a window
appears showing data contributed by the site owner.
Native Buzz    Graham et al.
Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014     Florida Academy of Sciences   209
 
nest, the inside diameter of the nest entrance, height of the nest from the ground, and the species
name.
Participants were encouraged to consult the resources from the ID Guides resource page to
determine the bee/wasp species, submit a photo of the emerging insect to www.bugguide.net or a
similar identification website, and/or send in photos or overnight frozen preserved specimens for
identification..
Forms were used to facilitate the transfer of data when participants: (1) joined the project
using the Become a Buzz Watcher  form, (2) registered their nest site via the  Register the Site  form,
(3) uploaded data (Upload Data form), and (4) completed a ‘‘Questionnaire’’ to evaluate their use of 
the website and supporting resources. The website was linked to a database in such a way that an
administrator with limited coding knowledge could view and analyze data through a password-
protected ‘‘Admin’’ panel on the website.
Launch and recruitment.  In April 2012, the website and citizen science project (www.
ufnativebuzz.com) was officially launched and recruitment began. This launch was promoted
within Florida via presentations, workshops and other extension activities. Promotion also
occurred via articles in local newspapers, online blogs, listservs, newsletters, and features on local
television and radio stations. Contests were developed asking participants to share their nest site
designs as a way to spread inspiration. Flyers were distributed at local ‘‘nature’’ events and festivals
and sent to nest site suppliers, conservation groups and registered project participants.
Support for the project was received from several external organizations including Crown
Bees, Our Native Bees, the Xerces Society, Resonating Bodies, local beekeeping clubs, gardening
clubs, and school groups. The support provided included donated educational materials or nesting
materials, which were used as prizes to encourage recruitment and participation, and sponsored
nest site building workshops and presentations.
Results
Three major outcomes were targeted for this project: (1) determining the
distribution and number of nest sites created by participants; (2) documenting
the types of participants, their motivations and their concerns; and (3)
collecting data regarding the distribution, diversity, and nesting preferences of 
solitary bees and wasps.
Distribution and number of nest sites.  By July 2014, project participants
had designed, built and monitored 68 artificial nest sites. During the two-year
study period, the sites collectively contained over 10,657 potential nests
constructed from a variety of materials and established within a variety of 
ecosystems. Select images of nest sites that were registered with the website
and/or submitted via social media or email are provided to show the variety of 
nest site types (Figure 2).
For the 68 nest sites registered with the website, a variety of nesting
materials were used including: (1) holes drilled in wood, (2) hollow plant stems,
(3) ground nesting materials such as bare earth, piles of pebbles, and holes
drilled in rock, clay, and (4) artificial materials such as metal tubing, aquarium
tubing, paper, plastic, flower pots, and even an old CD tower. Types of 
habitats monitored by participants with registered nest sites included golf 
courses, city parks, coastal dunes, high desert, disturbed scrub, xeric hardwood
pine, emergent wetlands, Northern Rocky Mountains, riparian forest, agricul-
tural lands, fruit orchards, savannah, and coastal plains.
Graham et al.   Native Buzz 
210   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences
 
Participant types, motivations and concerns.   Between April 2012 and
July 2014, 268 individuals and 19 groups registered via the  Native Buzz website
for a combined membership of over 655 citizen science project participants.
Participants were located in 30 Florida counties as well as 38 states and 10
Figure 2. A sample of the nest diversity provided by project participants through both the
Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/nbnsproject) and the UF   Native Buzz   website (www.
ufnativebuzz.com).
Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014     Florida Academy of Sciences   211
 
additional countries (Figures 3–5). More than half of the data received were
from individual participants in Florida, which composed   ,30%   of the
registered participant base.
Of the 170 participants who filled out the questionnaire, 34 participants
commented on the factors motivating them to participate in this citizen science
project. Ten participants wanted to do something concrete to help bees and
wasps. Nine participants wanted to use the project as a teaching tool or an
opportunity for life-long learning. Another nine participants saw the project as
a way to complement another related hobby such as gardening, beekeeping
or agricultural production. Six participants viewed the project as a fun or
interesting way to spend more time outside.
Participants were asked what resources they would like to have available
on the website in the background section of the questionnaire. Of the 170
people who completed a questionnaire, 76%   were uncertain about what
resources they wanted or left the answer blank. The resources that the other 40
participants listed included: information about bees (6%   of all respondents),
Figure 3. Map showing the Florida county distribution of individual participants registered at the
UF  Native Buzz  website (www.ufnativebuzz.com) as of July 2014.
Graham et al.   Native Buzz 
212   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences
 
information about insect identification (5%), links to similar projects (2%),
building instructions (2%), photo guides (2%), region specific information
(2%), video (1%), smart phone application (1%), links to supplies (1%), access
to data (1%), and information about pollination (1%).
On the questionnaire, 170 participants were asked if they had any concerns
when joining this project. Of the 69 participants who provided a response to
this question, 79%   had no concerns. For the other 21%, the most common
concern (6% of all respondents) was time/lack of time, followed by inability to
collect data (4%), and inability to identify insects (3%). Other concerns
Figure 4. Map showing the national distribution of individual participants registered at the UF
Native Buzz  website (www.ufnativebuzz.com) as of July 2014.
Figure 5. Map showing the global distribution of individual participants registered at the UF
Native Buzz  website (www.ufnativebuzz.com) as of July 2014.
Native Buzz    Graham et al.
Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014     Florida Academy of Sciences   213
 
included lack of knowledge (2%), geographic constraints (2%), privacy (1%),
aversion to killing insects (1%), no nesting (1%), lack of personal commitment
(1%) and fear of stings (1%).
Distribution, diversity and nesting preferences of solitary bees
and wasps.   Insects found utilizing these nests included (1) various bee species:
Megachile petulans, Megachile policaris, Megachile sculpturalis, Xylopcopa spp.
Osmia cornuta; (2) multiple wasp species:   Euodynerus   spp.,   Isodontia auripes,
Trypoxylon lactitarse; and (3) flies: Sarcophagidae. These insects nested in bamboo,
Japanese knotweed, or holes drilled in wood with cavities having an ID of 4.76 mm,
7.94 mm, 9.53 mm, or 11.1 mm.
Discussion
The large number of participants who registered with the website and designed,
built and monitored artificial nest sites between April 2012 and July 2014 is
promising. In addition, the large number of artificial nest sites created by
project participants indicates that technology-based citizen science projects
such as   Native Buzz   can lead to the successful creation of artificial nesting
habitats for solitary bees and wasps and provide entomological researchers
with a variety of useful data from monitoring of these nest sites.
Positive impacts on solitary bees and wasps.   The additional nesting
habitat established as a result of this project has the potential to impact solitary
bee and wasp conservation positively in several ways. First the habitat itself is
important to solitary bees and wasps. The minimum habitat requirements for
solitary bees and wasps include forage/prey, nest sites and nest materials. Most
solitary bees have a relatively small forage range (between 150 m and 1200 m)
in which to find all of these necessities (Gathmann and Tscharntke 2002).
Thus, nest site availability is likely a limiting factor for solitary bees and wasps.
Citizen scientists could be contributing to the potential success of these
beneficial insects simply by establishing artificial nest sites.
Secondly, citizen science project participants who study beneficial insect
habitats in their backyards are likely to share this experience with their friends
and neighbors, who will then further spread the message of conservation
(Oberhauser and Prysby 2008). Large or eye-catching nest sites in public places
will likely attract even more attention and raise the curiosity of others. The
hope is that this message will resonate beyond local participants to the global
community, inspiring growers, natural resource managers, policy makers,
educators, and others to design and build nest sites and contribute to the
scientific knowledge of these beneficial insects.
Positive contributions to entomological research.   Documenting the
incredible variety of materials used by participants to create their artificial
nest sites provides a great opportunity for researchers to study which types of 
artificial nest site materials are best suited for different species of solitary bees
Graham et al.   Native Buzz 
214   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences
 
and wasps. In addition, the wide variety of habitats and ecosystems monitored
by participants with registered nest sites provides researchers with opportu-
nities to determine the types of land-uses and habitats preferred by different
types of solitary bees and wasps.
Positive impacts on participants.   This type of citizen science project has
the potential to increase participant knowledge regarding a variety of content
topics, including solitary bee and wasp natural history, pollination processes,
and biodiversity issues. Furthermore, the process of monitoring nest sites
provides participants with opportunities to engage in authentic learning
experiences that foster the development of key science process skills including
observing, measuring, classifying, recording data, and making inferences. Since
these experiences occur outdoors in backyards, parks, schoolyards and
gardens, participants are also provided with opportunities for direct, non-
destructive interactions with living organisms. Research has shown that these
types of outdoor experiences with common wildlife species improve wildlife-
related knowledge and attitudes (Howie 1974, Cronin-Jones 2000), provide
mental and emotional health benefits and social benefits (Ungar et al. 2005, Beard
and Wilson 2006), and yield beneficial physiological responses such as reduced
blood pressure, reduced heart rate and increased cognition (Kellert 1993).
Additional learning opportunities exist. The relative docility of solitary
bees and wasps offers an opportunity to replace irrational fears and potential
phobias with an appreciation for the valuable ecosystem services and intrinsic
value that these beneficial insects represent. This project offers an excellent
opportunity to introduce the study of insects to participants in an activity that
is as safe as gardening. The actions of designing, building, monitoring and
maintaining an artificial nest habitat for solitary bees and wasps provide
multiple opportunities for experiential learning and the cyclical nature of 
experiential learning can be reinforced through reevaluating the nest site every
season and teaching others during the process (Beard and Wilson 2006,
Roberts 2006). Opportunities for discussing and reflecting on the topics
associated with this project are provided through the Facebook forum. Such
spontaneous discussions may lead to positive behavior changes or practices of 
participants even without direct, explicit instruction, such as through a
reduction in pesticide use.
Future project recommendations.   The UF   Native Buzz   Citizen Scientist
project has developed a participant base through its website and associated
Facebook page with local, national and international representation. The
current level of participation indicates that the workflow of registering the nest
site and uploading the data may need to be restructured in order to maximize
the influx of data from registered participants. A more streamlined website or a
smart phone application may be helpful. Alternatively, or in conjunction,
participants may need additional rewards and satisfiers built into the website in
order to encourage a more complete level of participation. This can be
Native Buzz    Graham et al.
Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014     Florida Academy of Sciences   215
 
accomplished by providing a ‘‘gamification’’ of the tasks whereby game theory
methods are introduced through adding levels, scores, badges, and unlockable
content to motivate participants to progress through the steps of participation
and reward them along the way (Prestopnik and Crowston 2012b).
It was somewhat of a surprise that 74%  of participants registered on the
website have earned a college degree and only 6% were under 18 years of age.
To reach a broader constituency, this project could be adapted and tailored for
use with K-12 traditional and home school settings. Alternatively, native bee
nest sites could be built in public places such as zoos, botanical gardens, parks
and libraries. Educational programs then could be developed for these nest
sites and kiosks could even be installed to allow visitors to input data while
they observe the nest sites.
If successful over a large geographic range and as a long-term monitoring
program, this project has the potential to lead to an increased understanding of 
the nest preferences and diversity of solitary bees and wasps in a variety of 
habitats and ecosystems. If maintained for several years, the cumulative data
generated could provide insight into the response of solitary bee and wasp
populations to environmental changes brought on by both natural causes and
human intervention.
This citizen scientist project has the potential to be used as a research tool
to address multiple issues related to solitary bees and wasps; for instance, it
could act as a community-based monitoring system with the means to track
non-native, invasive solitary bees, wasps and the pests and parasites of both.
Furthermore, data collected on the population dynamics, dispersal and life
histories of the solitary bees and wasps found could facilitate the identification
of potentially managed crop pollinators or biological control agents that could
be adapted to augment populations of other promising species (Batra 1998,
Bosch and Kemp 2002, Krunic and Stanisavljevic 2006). The resulting data
could also be used to identify rare or declining populations that could be
flagged for conservation management plans. Solitary bees and wasps are
sensitive to environmental degradation and have been utilized as biological
indicators whose overall health may represent the quality of the environment in
which they live (Tylianakis et al. 2005, Loyola and Martins 2006).
This project provides a way for citizens to learn more about bees and
wasps and be involved in conservation and ecological research. Citizen science
provides a tool through which researchers can gather data from a larger
geographic range and longer period of time than is possible via traditional bee
and wasp survey projects. UF   Native Buzz   is still in the early development
phase but seems a viable solution for solitary bee and wasp research and
conservation efforts.
Acknowledgments We thank all of the citizen scientist participants who shared their time, energy,
and feedback throughout this process. We thank the staff and volunteers of the University of 
Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, as well as Steve Lasley, Jane Medley, Kay
Weigel, Jennifer L. Gillett-Kaufman, T. Grady Roberts, H. Glenn Hall, Jaret C. Daniels, Rebecca
Graham et al.   Native Buzz 
216   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences
 
W. Baldwin and James Colee for their technical expertise, input, and feedback. We thank Crown
Bees, Our Native Bees, the Xerces Society, Ethnobeeology, Pollinator Plates, Resonating Bodies,
and the Campaign for Solitary Bees for their overall support in promoting this project.
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Submitted: July 11, 2014
Accepted: August 4, 2014
218   Florida Scientist 77(4) 2014   Florida Academy of Sciences

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