Funding supports bee conservation efforts at K-State

By Scout Nelson

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded over $1 million to researchers at three U.S. universities to further a Kansas State University (K-State) project aimed at conserving bees, one of nature's most vital pollinators.

This initiative is led by K-State entomologist Brian Spiesman, who launched the BeeMachine.ai website and mobile app in 2020 to track global bee population trends.

A recent update to BeeMachine.ai significantly enhances user contributions to this citizen science effort. Funded by a nearly $250,000 K-State Game-changing Research Initiation Program (GRIPex) award, this update allows the identification of 354 bee types worldwide, with plans to expand this database through the NSF project.

According to Spiesman, there are approximately 4,000 bee species in North America and over 20,000 globally. BeeMachine.ai currently features tens of thousands of user-submitted images of bees, highlighting the importance of these pollinators.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations notes that nearly three-quarters of the world's food crops rely, at least in part, on pollination.

Spiesman emphasizes the critical role bees play in pollinating a vast array of crops, including apples, bananas, almonds, and coffee.

However, he warns that many bee species are declining due to habitat loss, climate change, pesticide overuse, and invasive species. Identifying these species is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies.

Since its launch, BeeMachine.ai has attracted 4,000 users who contributed over 14,000 sightings from all continents except Antarctica. However, to maximize the potential of artificial intelligence in tracking bee populations, more images are needed. The NSF has granted K-State $372,442 to enhance these efforts and improve the app.

K-State has partnered with the University of Kansas and the University of Wisconsin, which also received NSF funding, to photograph pinned bee specimens. With over 500,000 bee specimens in K-State’s collection and thousands more in Wisconsin, this project aims to image these specimens to train AI algorithms for identifying bee species.

Spiesman states, “We hope to add most of the 4,000 bee species in North America plus many other species worldwide to our algorithm.” This project will empower individuals to help gather essential data for effective bee conservation and provide insight into the decline of critical insect populations.

Photo Credit:kansas-state-university