CCE Tompkins Master Gardener Volunteer Program

Our community Seed Swap is happening Sunday, March 10! Bring your leftover seeds to share and take some something new for your garden.

Learn more at https://ccetompkins.org/events/2024/03/10/seed-swap.

Are you dreaming up your lush spring garden? All are welcome to join in our spring Seed Swap, 11 am to 1 pm on Sunday, March 10 at CCE Tompkins! 🌱

Come share your leftover seeds and try something new in your garden this year. Bring seeds dated within the last five years to donate and pick up new ones. This event is free, though donations are welcome to keep our seed cabinet stocked throughout the season.

Researchers at Cornell are seeking your help to better understand and protect the nests of solitary, gentle, ground-nesting bees. Wild bees arrive at no cost to farmers and improve the quality and quantity of their harvest. They deliver $100’s of billions-USD annually to the global economy. Even though 90% of bees are solitary and 70% of bees nest in the ground, knowledge about solitary ground-nesting bees is lacking. This program aims to fill this critical knowledge gap and we will study how factors like soil characteristics affect these bee populations, which will help us learn how to protect and improve nesting habitat for bees that provide crucial pollination services. By promoting nesting sites for native bees, we can enhance ecosystem and agricultural sustainability and resilience.

To participate, add your observations to the iNaturalist project (it's free!) with your picture(s) of a ground-nesting bee and its nest entrance, ideally showing a bee entering or exiting the nest. Past observations are accepted! Also, visit a previously reported aggregation in your area and experience your local biology. Look for nest entrances in grass or soil from early spring to late summer.

Record observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ground-nesting-bees-3e6882c0-a112-4ddb-b043-1da25638ce96

Learn more: https://www.gnbee.org/

Image description: Cartoon bee popping out of a mound of soil.

Ground Nesting Bees Ninety percent of all bees are solitary and seventy percent of bees nest in the ground. Many solitary ground nesting bees provide crucial ecological services that enhance ecosystem resilience, food security and support the agricultural economy, yet our knowledge regarding the nearly 4,000 species of...