iNaturalist Project Feature: Pollinators in Paradise

If you are using the iNaturalist app, one easy way to do community science (citizen science) is to contribute to ongoing research efforts.  The Pollinators in Paradise iNat project is one that you can contribute to understanding Hawaii’s pollinator community. It is focused focused on bees, wasps and sawflies and hopes to spread awareness of Hawaii’s endangered pollinator species. Follow this link to join the project.

Seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees are currently listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The listing below provides links to  the USFWS ECOS system that provides summary data on these bees. Five of the seven are reported from Maui county and two are know only from Maui County. The last listing for Hylaeus mana provides a good overview/description of the group that is lacking for the other species. Here is a nice article from the Maui News that gives a nice big-picture overview.

Anthricinan yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus anthracinus)(Maui)

Assimulans yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus assimulans) (only Maui)

Easy yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus facilis)(Maui)

Hilaris yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus hilaris) (only Maui)

Hawaiian yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus kuakea)(only Honolulu)

Hawaiian yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus longiceps)(Maui)

Hawaiian yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus mana)(only Honolulu)