Bee Hunting Network

The Bee Hunting Network doesn't exist. Yet.

I think this a fascinating idea that could have long term benefits in our understanding of bee behavior and bee health. I think it is also an opportunity to educate the public about bees and other pollinators. This could in turn lead to conservation efforts for pollinator habitat. It's an idea that could bring focus to many disparate efforts and allow cross pollination of ideas.

What would it take to make this happen? I think the first key to success would be to get bee researchers to agree on a common data model.

The initial data set would allow the tracking and documentation of feral hive locations. Sample data needed for tracking includes bait station location, bee line vectors, dates of various activities, names of individuals or clubs collecting the data. Location based data types include bait station, managed hive, feral hive in tree, feral hive in rocks, feral hive in a structure and various types of foraging areas..Insect identity would have to be a separate data type. This would allow studies on specific species of honey bees. For the safety of participants, it would also allow the documentation of Africanized Honey Bee locations.

To help motivate participants, data would be "owned" by the individual who uploaded it to the site/database. This way no one but the owner can make changes to the data. But, other participants can choose whether or not to view data from other participants.

MORE TO COME...