Bug Banter with the Xerces Society

Happy Pollinator Week! In this episode, we are joined by Kass Urban-Mead, Rich Hatfield, and Mace Vaughan for this special Q&A session on bees. You might recognize Kass and Rich from previous podcast episodes, but they are joined by a new face, Mace Vaughan.  All three of our guests are colleagues of ours at the Xerces Society. Kass is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist & NRCS Partner Bi...

Continuing with our series on butterflies, we are highlighting the butterflies east of the Rockies, which is a huge area and encompasses so many different environments — prairies in the Great Plains and the Midwest; forests of New England and the Southeast; mountains of the Appalachians; the wetlands and beaches of the Atlantic and the Gulf coasts.  To try and cover all of these, we are joined by...

We often hear about monarch butterflies, but there are many other species of butterflies in North America. So we are kicking off a series of three podcasts to highlight butterflies in different regions of the US and today we are focusing on butterflies west of the Rockies!  Joining us is butterfly expert and Xerces Society Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Kevin’s Burls. Kevin's effo...

It was Jimmie Durante who first came up with the rhyme, “spring is sprung, the grass is riz; I wonder where them boidies is?” Of course, spring also means the return of insects — bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and yes, mosquitoes — and here at the Xerces Society we start getting questions about what to do about these pesky critters. Does spraying help? Does spraying harm other insects? What are t...

As humans, we often think of the world through the lens of daylight - when we are most active. But at night, an entire world of insects comes to life and we are missing out! To help us explore these nocturnal creatures is Emily May, Pollinator Conservation Specialist on our Pesticide team at Xerces. You might recognize Emily from our last episode, as a special guest co-host. Thank you for listenin...

Tired of mowing your law? We have good news - you don’t have to, and the bees (and fritillary butterflies) will thank you for it! Mowing your lawn less frequently can provide habitat for pollinators, especially in early spring. But, is that enough? What can we do to turn No Mow May into meaningful conservation of pollinators and other wildlife? Joining us to talk about the trendy No Mow May Campai...

In this episode of Bug Banter, we are going underwater to highlight an invertebrate that isn’t an insect — the freshwater mussel. These animals may not be well-known but are powerhouses in our freshwater ecosystems, playing a critical role in our lakes and rivers. We’re joined today by not only one but two guests! — Emilie Blevins and Jack Fetters, who are both conservation biologists on the Endan...

For many of us, if we were asked to describe a place that is good for bees, I suspect that we’d talk about somewhere that is open, sunny, and full of flowers — a garden, meadow, prairie, or hedgerow, maybe. The chances are that forests wouldn’t be high on that list. However, forests provide important resources for bees. In this episode, we are joined by Kass Urban-Mead to talk about forests and be...

Spend time in a garden and you’ll probably hear the buzzing of a bumble bee. These charismatic bees pollinate many of the foods and flowers that we love and, similar to other bees, their populations are in decline. Fortunately, there is a community science program to help us better understand the abundance and distribution of bumble bees across the US. To talk more about this we are joined today b...

Light pollution. Go outside at night and you’ll notice them — lights on buildings, in gardens, along streets, glowing on the horizon. It might not seem like much, but this is changing the world for animals that rely on darkness. Imagine evolving for millions of years with only the stars and moon and now being faced with a landscape full of additional light.  What happens to insects when the night...

Fireflies. Just the word evokes for many people memories of summer evenings filled with magic and awe. From their flashy mating displays to their glowing larvae, these iconic insects have captured our hearts. Unfortunately, fireflies have started to disappear from the landscape. What is causing this decline and what can we do to help? Joining us this week to talk about incredible insects is Richar...

We’ve previously talked about overwintering monarchs seeking refuge in warmer climates, but what do other butterflies do during the winter? Do they also migrate? Do all butterflies overwinter as adults? If so, where do they hide — in leaves or rock piles or up in the trees? If not, how do they survive — what do these warm-loving butterflies do during the winter? To answer these questions and help...

We are all familiar with beetles. Look around your home or neighborhood and you’ll find them, but how familiar are we? What makes a beetle a beetle? How many different species are there? What role do they play in our world?  To help us explore the world of beetles is Jennifer Hopwood, who works for the Xerces Society as a Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist – a job title that doesn’t really...

No bee is as popular as the honey bee. When we think of a bee, many of us think of this charismatic social bee that lives in large colonies, does the wiggle dance, produces the honey we love, and pollinates many of our crops. Although honey bees can be found all over North America, they only arrived in the 17th century by way of European settlers. Aside from honey bees, in North America, thousands...

Last month we met with Isis Howard to talk about western monarch populations and community science. Today, we are going to talk about monarchs east of the Rockies.  From their overwintering sites to their multi-generational migration, and the stops along the way, we will take a deeper look at the journey of the monarch. To lead us on this discussion is Dr. Ray Moranz, Xerces Grazing Lands Pollinat...

The word “endangered” is widely used when talking about rare animals in news reports, conservation campaigns, TV documentaries, and more. Sometimes being endangered is seen as a benefit, other times as a bad thing — but what does it mean?  As with so many things, what lies behind the word “endangered” is more complicated than what meets the eye, and the word is not always used correctly, which can...

There are not many insects as well-known, and as well-loved, as the monarch butterfly. Monarchs are characterized by their beautiful bright colors and their awe-inspiring migration.  Unfortunately, monarch populations have been in decline for many years — but have you ever wondered how we know that? Tracking and estimating the population of any animal is tricky, even big ones like bears and eagles...

Insects - who needs em? We do! We’ve all heard that insects are in decline. From bumble bees to monarch butterflies to fireflies, people are noticing fewer insects on the landscape. Should we be alarmed that invertebrates are disappearing from our planet? The answer is yes, and while this is the start of a grim tale, there is hope. In understanding the impact and cause of decline, collectively, we...

Have you heard of solitary ground-nesting bees? Yes? No? Either way, this podcast is for you!  Unlike honey bees or bumble bees that live in colonies, solitary bees do it alone and interestingly, most of them nest underground. Although they are common, widespread, and almost certainly living in your neighborhood and at times literally under your feet, most people know very little about them. To he...

The word Xerces often confuses people. What does it mean and where does the name Xerces come from? Join us on this short podcast to introduce the organization that works to save insects and other invertebrates - the Xerces Society.  Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.