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A two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus) on purple vetch flower.
A two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus) on vetch.

Welcome to
Southwest Michigan Bee Watch!

Southwest Michigan Bee Watch (swmbees) is a community science project aimed at documenting bumble bee species diversity and the plants they feed on in the nine counties of Southwest Michigan: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren. The project began in spring 2020 and is administered by Professor Ann Fraser and undergraduate researchers at Kalamazoo College. We welcome and encourage submissions from the public in all areas of Southwest Michigan as we seek to understand and conserve these important pollinators. Yard, neighborhood, roadside, park or preserve – we welcome your submissions. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

Learn more about how you can contribute through our Get Involved page and our swmbees video overview.

Learn how natural history and conservation photographer Clay Bolt became a bumble bee enthusiast!