Pollinator Port Project
Mission: Providing resources for New York City’s at-risk native bees
The Pollinator Port Project aims to save the bees, but which ones? There are over 50 different types of bee that live in NYC (~400 in New York State and ~4000 in the United states!), but not all have the same needs. The familiar honeybee, a species introduced to North America by European colonists, are content to live in man-made hives on rooftops or in backyard gardens. The other species do not live together in hives but either nest in family groups in the ground (bumblebees) or in individual nests made by a single mother bee. These nests are built either in bare ground, hollowed stems, or other cavities. In urban areas like NYC, it can be difficult for these bees to find suitable real estate. To combat this, we are creating evidence-based supplemental habitats: Bee Hotels for the cavity nesters and Bee Bunkers for the ground nesters and distributing them to plazas throughout the city with the help of our collaborators from the Horticultural Society and the NYC DoT.
We are a group of native bee ecologists from Rutgers University collaborating with municipal and non-profit organizations in NYC.
We work to provide ground and stem-nesting bees with the habitat and resources they need to thrive in the big city.
We also provide practical information that assists the wider public (you!) in understanding and supporting our non-honeybees.
The BEE Team at Rutgers 