Bug Banter with the Xerces Society

The Xerces Society
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Join us as we explore the fascinating world of invertebrates and discover how to help these extraordinary animals. The Xerces Society is a nationwide non-profit organization that works to conserve invertebrates and their habitats. For more information go to xerces.org.

  1. Sep 1

    A Conservation Spotlight: The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

    The rusty patched bumble bee is a gorgeous bee, richly colored in yellow and black with a distinctive rusty brown marking on its back. It holds a special place in history: In January 2017, it became the first bee in the continental U.S. to be listed under the Endangered Species Act, and in May of this year, 1.5 million acres of land were designated as critical habitat, the largest area of critical habitat ever declared for an insect.  To tell us the story of how this bumble bee went from unknown to icon are two people who played a central role in the years-long effort, Sarina Jepsen and Rich Hatfield.  Sarina is the Endangered Species Program Director here at Xerces, and has worked on the protection of many different invertebrate species, including bees, butterflies, tiger beetles, fireflies, and freshwater mussels. Sarina co-founded the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Bumblebee Specialist Group, an international network of scientists who aim to evaluate the extinction risk of bumble bees worldwide. Rich also works at Xerces, where he is a Senior Conservation Biologist on our Endangered Species team and Bumble Bee Conservation Lead, which means he manages all aspects of the Xerces Society’s work on bumble bees. This includes coordinating the Bumble Bee community science projects, including the Bumble Bee Atlas. Rich is also working to understand the threats to bumble bees and actions we can take to protect them, and advocating for their protection.  --- Photo: Rich Hatfield / Xerces Society Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    A Conservation Spotlight: The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

  2. Aug 18

    Saving Native Butterflies: One Garden at a Time

    In a previous episode we highlighted the State of the Butterflies report, which found that we are losing butterflies at a rate of 1.3% per year in the contiguous US: more than one-fifth of our butterflies disappeared between 2000 and 2020. Perhaps more alarming, over 40% of assessed species fell in numbers by 50% or more—and two dozen species suffered more than 90% losses. So what can we do to help butterflies?  To give us guidance are butterfly experts, Ray Moranz and Kevin Burls, both of whom you may remember from previous episodes. Ray is a Xerces Pollinator Conservation Specialist and NRCS Partner Biologist based in Oklahoma. He works to conserve pollinators on rangelands in the central U.S. and conducts research on monarch butterfly migration and overwintering in the southeastern  U.S. Kevin is a Xerces Society Endangered Species Conservation Biologist based in northern Nevada. His work focuses on protecting the hundreds of butterfly species that inhabit deserts, forests, and grasslands across the western United States.  *Correction: when referencing the book Attracting Beneficial Insects, the correct title is Farming with Native Beneficial Insects: Ecological Pest Control Solutions. ** Correction: When referencing the tool Monarch Plant Finder, the correct name for the tool is Plants for Monarchs.  ---  Photo: Xerces Society/Nancy Lee Adamson Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    Saving Native Butterflies: One Garden at a Time

  3. Aug 4

    Alaska and Beyond: Native Bee Conservation and Monitoring

    From chasing bumble bees in Alaska to understanding native bee populations nationwide, this scientist is on a mission to better understand these important insects.  In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Hollis Woodard. Hollis is a Professor of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside and PI — the Principal Investigator, i.e., the person leading the project — of the US National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network. She received a PhD in Biology in 2012 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied the molecular basis of social evolution in bees. She is broadly interested in native bee ecology, evolution, social behavior, and conservation, and has worked with laboratory-reared bees and the wild bees of Alaska, California, Maine, and Vermont — and is a collaborator with Xerces on the State of the Bees project. ---- Photo: (c) beaucheminalex (CC BY-NC) Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    Alaska and Beyond: Native Bee Conservation and Monitoring

  4. Jul 21

    Discovering Monarchs in the Sunshine State

    Florida may not be the first state that comes to mind when talking about monarch butterflies. Maybe that’s because much of the conversation about monarchs focuses on their migration and the condition of the overwintering sites in Mexico and California, and so it kind of bypasses the Sunshine State. However, there are reports that monarchs can be seen in Florida all year, and today, we are going to give them their time in the spotlight. We are going to take a journey with monarchs that travel through Florida and explore new exciting technologies to track their migration. Who better to tell this story than monarch expert and Bug Banter regular, Ray Moranz. Ray is a Xerces Pollinator Conservation Specialist and NRCS Partner Biologist based in Oklahoma, where he works to conserve pollinators on rangelands in the central U.S. However, he has been studying monarchs for even longer and is probably seldom happier than when he is pursuing an orange-and-black butterfly across the Florida landscape. -- Cover photo: Dean Jue (c) Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    Discovering Monarchs in the Sunshine State

  5. Jul 7

    Backyard Bug Safari: Tools for Exploration

    Do you know what insects are in your pollinator garden or in your community? How do you find them, identify them, and continue to support them? Well, if you want the answers to these questions, you came to the right place! To help us explore this topic and give us their best tips, are Jennifer Hopwood and Aaron Anderson. Jennifer is a Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist with Xerces, providing resources and training for pollinator and beneficial insect habitat management and restoration in a variety of landscapes. Aaron is a Pesticide Program Specialist at Xerces and works with communities across the country, as well as Xerces staff, to reduce pesticide use in residential landscapes, including promoting non-pesticide approaches to landscape care and pollinator-friendly gardening practices. Neither of these guests are strangers to Bug Banter. --- Photo: Sara Morris CC BY-NC 2.0 Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    Backyard Bug Safari: Tools for Exploration

  6. Jun 16

    The Secret Life of Millipedes

    Millipedes. Do they really have a thousand feet? To answer this and many other much more sensible questions, we are joined today by two people who know way more about these largely overlooked animals than I do, Drs Ben Jantzen and Jackson Means. Ben is the founder and President of the Virginia Institute for Invertebrates. With a background in biophysics, especially insect flight, he is presently Associate Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Tech. Jackson is an Assistant Curator of Recent Invertebrates at the Virginia Museum of Natural History and a myriapodologist (i.e., a scientist that studies millipedes, centipedes, and relatives). His research focuses on the discovery and description of new species, primarily in the mountains and foothills of Appalachia. ... Photo: Peter Pearsall/USFWS Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    The Secret Life of Millipedes

  7. Jun 2

    Beyond the Backyard: Building Pollinator Habitat in the Community

    We spend a lot of time talking about how we can create habitat for pollinators in yards, but there are other spaces too. So if you don’t have a yard or even if you do and you want to expand your impact, no problem! Today we are going to explore how to create pollinator habitat beyond your home.  Joining us to talk about this is Kelly Gill, Pollinator Conservation Specialist and Partner Biologist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for Xerces. Kelly provides advice and support on planning, designing, installing, and managing habitat in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Kelly also works with staff and research partners to develop technical guidelines and provide training on pollinator conservation practices. --- Photo: Kelly Gill (c) Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    Beyond the Backyard: Building Pollinator Habitat in the Community

  8. May 21

    Goodbye Grass, Hello Bugs: Bringing Life Back to Our Yards

    The color green is associated with a clean, healthy environment. When we see a green space, we often think it’s good, whether it is a beautiful forest or a neighborhood lawn. All plants provide for wildlife, right? Unfortunately, no. Some landscapes, in particular lawns, provide very little to no habitat. So, what can folks do to change their landscape? How can they rethink or replace their lawn to support wildlife? To explore this topic, we are joined by Emily May and Stephanie Frischie. Emily is part of our pesticide reduction team at Xerces. With a focus on pesticides in agriculture, Emily works with farmers, researchers, conservation professionals, and agencies across the U.S. to reduce pesticide risks to pollinators and other beneficial insects, support the adoption of ecologically sound pest management practices, and expand high-quality habitat in working lands.  Stephanie Frischie is an Agronomist and Native Plant Materials Specialist at Xerces. Stephanie brings technical expertise on native plant materials, native plants, and plant-insect interactions to her work across conservation agronomy; plant ecology; ecological restoration; and native seed production, use, policy, research, and quality — all to improve the supply and growth of important plant species for restoration of insect habitat. --- Photo: Emily May Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

    Goodbye Grass, Hello Bugs: Bringing Life Back to Our Yards
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Join us as we explore the fascinating world of invertebrates and discover how to help these extraordinary animals. The Xerces Society is a nationwide non-profit organization that works to conserve invertebrates and their habitats. For more information go to xerces.org.

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