Visit the USFWS Pollinator Team at the USGS Bee Lab

Field Experiences Insects Native Plants & Trees Tours

Learn about our native bees with the FWS Pollinator experts at the USGS Bee Lab, a unique federal facility dedicated entirely to supporting science for North America’s roughly 4,000 species of native bees. These are the only biologists within the Department of the Interior with the specific taxonomic expertise required to identify native bees down to the exact species level. With this expertise, the group supports research teams in designing surveys for native bees, provides identification tools and keys, and offers specialized training on field and laboratory methods, all essential for identifying and documenting local species. The lab also documents relationships between individual bee species and the specific flowers they depend on, which is vital because roughly 30% of U.S. native bees are pollen specialists. The FWS Pollinator Team works with National Wildlife Refuges to manage protected habitats for pollinators and native plants.
We’ll walk around their gardens in search of bees, have a short intro to a bee ID lesson, and see their macrophotography setup.  To build better identification keys, the lab takes ultra-high-resolution macro photographs of insects. They host a public catalog of over 4,500 images on the USGS Bee Lab Flickr Page.

We will meet at the Patuxent Research Refuge National Visitor Center and carpool to the lab. Carpooling is mandatory due to limited parking. After our lab tour, you are welcome to explore the visitor center area. Several hiking trails begin near there, along with a bird blind and a gift shop. Visitor center info is here: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/patuxent-research/patuxent-visitor-center.

  • Our meeting location will be included in your registration confirmation email once payment is completed.
  • Watch for additional details in a welcome email sent a few days before the date.
  • All participants must be pre-registered. If you are on the waitlist and show up to the event uninvited, you will not be allowed to participate.
  • High school-aged children are welcome to attend and must be registered as a guest of their adult.
  • No more than two children per adult.
  • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, and bug spray, depending on the season.
  • Bring binoculars and a hand lens or loupe for birding or looking at details, if you have them.
  • Bring a first aid kit for your personal use.
  • No pets, please.

This tour is offered free of charge, and we welcome a donation to cover our expenses in offering this program to you.

All events are held rain or shine. If any event is canceled due to severe weather, you will receive an email or text. If you do not receive a weather-related email, the trip will proceed as planned.

Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made 14 or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within 14 days of the event will not receive a refund. Events and field trips with fees of $25 or less are non-refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

Registration

Levels:
  • NHSM Member Donation: $5
    Guest must also be NHSM members
  • Non Member Donation: $7
  • Education for All: $0
    Please consider a donation to cover our costs in offering this program to you.
Register Now!

Location

National Wildlife Visitor Center, Patuxent Research Refuge