Decision support tools for bee health
GIS (Geographic Information System) tools from Beescape can help predict the resources and threats foraging bees encounter at the landscape level and assist in selecting optimal honey bee colony locations.
Foraging honey bees may travel several miles from their hive in their quest for nectar and pollen. While on the wing, bees encounter a range of threats, from pesticides to developed lands lacking floral habitat.
Climate also strongly impacts colony survival. Extreme temperatures and season length can affect the availability of flower forage and colony stress.
Beescape.org hosts an evolving set of GIS-based tools for beekeepers, growers and land managers to evaluate the habitat quality of their landscapes for bees and predict colony stress over seasons.
These tools were created using datasets contributed by beekeepers, as well as other academic and national data sources. The scope and strength of these tools grow with every beekeeper contribution to the Beescape Survey!
