How to Protect Oregon’s Native Pollinators, From Parasitic Invaders to ‘Tickle Bees’

Beekeepers celebrated World Honey Bee Day this past weekend, celebrating all the work that pollinators do for us every day. But here in Oregon, there’s a lot more than just honey bees buzzing around: We have 600 species of bees, all doing their thing, pollinating plants. And a lot of them don’t look or act how you’d expect. 

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re listening back to a conversation between lead producer John Notarianni and Rich Hatfield, a senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society who’s studied native bees for 25 years. He’s here to tell us why they’re so important, how to protect them, and how to observe them out in the wild — without getting stung.

This conversation first aired on May 11, 2023

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