IDAHO BEE ATLAS

Dedicated to Documenting the Native Bees of Idaho and Their Associated Host Plants

The Idaho Bee Atlas is a statewide volunteer initiative documenting and conserving the more than 720 species of native bees found in Idaho. The project emphasizes data sharing, specimen collection and curation, outreach, and bee conservation knowledge linked to the state’s native flora.

The collection program draws on the tools and structure of the Oregon State University Master Melittologist Program while maintaining its own Idaho-focused framework. A growing group of volunteers contributes to both field collections and specimen curation. This work is hosted at the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History at the College of Idaho.

Data on Idaho bees is sparse and scattered. The Idaho Bee Atlas has initiated the creation and dissemination of an Open Checklist of the Bees of Idaho, which will provide a roadmap for future collection work and other bee research. We invite and encourage contributions and assistance in validating our work on this important project.

The Idaho Bee Atlas highlights the critical role of citizen science in expanding knowledge of pollinator diversity and ecology in the region.

We are delighted to celebrate a new scientific publication

highlighting the remarkable

diversity of Idaho's native bees!

Published in Insecta Mundi, “New state records, annotated checklist, and distribution of Lasioglossum Curtis bees in Idaho” brings together researchers from across the Pacific Northwest to advance our understanding of Lasioglossum, a fascinating and exceptionally diverse genus of native sweat bees.

The collaborative research documents 62 species in Idaho, including an impressive 35 new state records! Drawing on more than 5,200 museum specimens, field surveys, and historical records, this work represents an important contribution to our understanding of native bee biodiversity and distribution.

We are especially proud to recognize Karleen Davis and Stuart Murray of the Idaho Bee Atlas at College of Idaho's Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, alongside their fellow researchers Luc Leblanc, Joel Gardner, Anna Hawse, and Nash Muckey.