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Did you know that there are approximately 4000 species of bees in the United States, 800 species east of the Mississippi River, and over 400 species in Maryland? Little is known about the populations of most of these species. In 2009, Gene Scarpulla conducted a yearlong survey of the bees on Hart-Miller Island to increase our knowledge of Maryland’s bees. In 2015, Gene coordinated a cooperative survey of the bees of Poplar Island with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Gene’s talk is based on his Hart-Miller Island survey. He will give a brief overview of the history of Hart-Miller Island, describe his yearlong survey, discuss general bee biology, and show the marvelous diversity of bee species that can be found in Maryland.
Gene Scarpulla serves as Editor for The Maryland Entomologist (Maryland Entomological Society) and Maryland Birdlife (Maryland Ornithological Society). He is also an Associate at the Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory (BIML) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. In 2011, he retired after 30 years with the City of Baltimore’s Reservoir Natural Resources Section, his last 8 years as the City’s Watershed Manager. In 1996, Gene began conducting weekly bird surveys on Hart-Miller Island. Then he added butterflies to the surveys, then dragonflies and damselflies, and then other insects. In 2008, Gene was approached by Sam Droege, the head of BIML, to conduct bee surveys on Hart-Miller Island. He has been hooked on bees ever since and gives native bee talks and leads walks for many natural history organizations, beekeeper associations, garden clubs, and science teachers.
$10 NHSM Members
$15 Non-Members
The Natural History Society of Maryland is a volunteer-led non-profit organization, so the fee you pay will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible.
Thank you for your support!
