Preparing the field site

Field site preparation is almost complete! I have three amazing Tufts undergrads working for me - Isabel, Kevin and Sean. They have been doing back breaking work to get everything ready for the bumble bees, which arrive on Monday (7/13).

 

 

And when I say back breaking work, it's no joke. We had to dig the grass up for each of the 12 enclosures so we could plant flowering plants without competition from weeds and grass. Not sure digging shallow holes for hours in the hot sun was what they pictured when they volunteered to help with research. But no complaints yet!

 

 

Once the digging was complete, we were able to get all 12 enclosures up. And so far, so good. The enclosures seem to be holding strong, thanks largely to the string rigging genius of Kevin. They've even made it through a couple thunderstorms. Which means they are ready for bees!

 

 

Our goal now is to make the enclosures a happy home. This means providing lots of bee food (pollen and nectar). We've gotten some flowering plants in, but still need some more before the bumbles arrive.

I'm so grateful to have such hard working undergrads to help me this summer. Field site prep would have taken me twice as long (at least) without their help.

More frequent posts will be added to my blog. Check it out over the next couple weeks to see how the bees are settling into their new homes!