Monthly Volunteer Meeting -- March 2012

Timberdoodle Evening Air Show

We were treated to an airshow at our Monthly Volunteer Meeting.  American Woodcock were performing their springtime ritual in hopes of attracting a mate in the Saw Mill Field.  Nearby we also heard several Northern Leopard Frogs calling in the North Shore Marsh vicinity of Bantam Lake and River.  A real treat for our volunteers, who well deserve it to say the least!

Native Bee Monitoring Initiated

Tracy Zarrillo (CT Ag. Exp. Station) and Jared Franklin
install traps to inventory and monitor native bees.

Tracy Zarrillo and Dr. Kimberly Stoner (CT Agricultural Experiment Station) are monitoring native bee populations throughout the state.  Bees are a very important group of insects because of their role in native ecosystems and agriculture.  The traps used for collecting bees are quite simple but effective.  They consist of plastic cups that are painted different colors (Blue, Yellow, and White) with fluid to capture the bees that investigate the cup.  The color of the cups attract the bees.  

Bees are attracted to variety of colors, this cup is painted yellow and captures bees that investigate it .

The cups are checked weekly and the specimens are sent to CAES for identification.  This data will help us inventory the species associated that inhabit the property and monitor any changes within the population. 

Only 2 hours later, a bee was observed in a white trap!