Vermont Bee Survey Finds 352 Species — Nine Newly Recorded, Most Need Conservation

A statewide, decade-long survey in Vermont has documented 352 bee species — including nine species never before recorded in the state — the largest total reported in any northern New England state. Researchers compiled nearly 80,000 records from community science observations, scientific literature and museum collections to produce the updated inventory.

Key findings

Of the 352 species now on Vermont’s list, researchers estimate roughly 60% likely need conservation attention. The study also found that Vermont increasingly hosts boreal bee species more commonly associated with high mountain ranges in the American West, signaling shifting distributions that may be linked to climate change.

Community science at the core

“We recruited and trained community science volunteers to find, photograph and share wild bee encounters via the iNaturalist Vermont project,” said Spencer Hardy, lead author and bee specialist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. Their contributions now constitute the majority of Vermont’s scientific records for wild bees and continue to grow.

Policy and ecological context

The new inventory is the first statewide pollinator count in Vermont since 1962, when researchers documented just 98 bee species. The updated baseline arrives as Vermont implements Act 182, which bans use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds on crops. Vermont is the second U.S. state to enact such a restriction; the Canadian province of Quebec put a similar ban in place in 2019.

Neonicotinoids are commonly applied as seed treatments; plants grown from treated seed can carry the pesticide in their tissues and expose pollinators through nectar and pollen. The Xerces Society reports studies linking neonicotinoids to harmful impacts on bee behavior, feeding and reproduction.

Flood risk and underground-nesting bees

Taylor Ricketts, director of the University of Vermont’s Gund Institute for Environment and a coauthor of the study published in Northeastern Naturalist, noted that most of Vermont’s bee species nest underground rather than in trees or structures. That life history makes many species vulnerable to extreme flooding events, and researchers are now working to understand how increased floods and droughts influence underground-nesting bee populations.

Having a current, detailed species list gives scientists a baseline for tracking changes over time and evaluating the effects of pesticide policy, land management, and climate-driven extreme weather on pollinators.

For researchers, land managers and the public, this inventory supports coordinated conservation actions and monitoring efforts across Vermont. An interactive checklist of Vermont’s bee species is available through the Vermont Atlas of Life.