90 Dr. Casey Delphia – The Bees of Montana

Transcript

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Dr. Casey Delphia is a Research Scientist at Montana State University and Associate Curator of Apoidea in the Montana Entomology Collection (MTEC) where she conducts research on managed solitary bees and wild native bees in agricultural and wildland ecosystems. Projects include evaluating the use of wildflower strips for supporting bees and pollination services on farmlands and, most recently, documenting the wild bees of Montana. Towards building a comprehensive bee species list for the state, Casey co-authored the Bumble Bees of Montana as well as two recent checklists. In her spare time, Casey enjoys collecting bees in the desert southwest, the tropics of Belize, and the many interesting habitats found throughout Montana.

Listen in to learn about Dr. Delphia’s bee atlas projects, why Montana is a “black hole” of bee data, and where to find the coolest native bees of Montana.

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“It’s really great to be working on bees in Montana and it’s also not so great. It’s great because there are so many things to discover and it’s also not so great because there are so many things to discover.” – Dr. Casey Delphia

Show Notes:

Where to find the coolest native bees of Montana
What Dr. Delphia is hoping to accomplish in her recent bumblebee atlas project
Why Montana is a “black hole” of bee data
The challenges of bumblebee identification
Dr. Delphia’s upcoming project documenting the native bees of Montana
How Dr. Delphia collects specimens for her research
Dr. Delphia’s go-to tools for the field and the lab

“When somebody starts working with bumblebees and then they tell me it’s easy, then I realize they’re really not paying attention and they don’t know what they’re doing. The more you learn, the more you question what you know.” – Dr. Casey Delphia

Links Mentioned:

Casey’s favorite pollinator resources:

Books:
- The Bees in Your Backyard (Wilson and Messinger Carril, 2015)
- Bees of the World (Michener)
Tools:
- Rose Entomology Aerial Net
- Microscope (Leica MZ6 with continuous zoom and ring light)
Pollinators:
- Centris
- Family Megacilidae

Connect with Dr. Casey Delphia through Montana State University

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