Crisp County’s Extension office will host a Zoom webinar about pollinators and the census for any interested parties on Saturday, August 22nd from 5-6pm. Pre-registration required at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEod-mhpzkrHtYWa2GfD-kfsoAaY6HLVS3b

On August 21st and 22nd Georgians across the state will join together to count pollinators as part of the second Great Georgia Pollinator Census (https://GGaPC.org).  In 2019, over 4,500 participants documented over 131,000 insect visits as part of the inaugural census.  We hope to increase the number of participants this year.

In 2019, over 100 events centering on the census took place across the state.  With the unknowns surrounding the coronavirus, this count may look a bit different.  This year we are encouraging participants to plan on counting at home with their families.

Participants are asked to count pollinators on a favorite pollinator plant for 15 minutes.  A “favorite” pollinator plant is one that shows an abundance of insect activity.  Counters place the insects they find into one of eight categories: bumble bees, carpenter bees, small bees, honey bees, wasps, flies, butterflies/moths, and other insects.

The goals of the project are to gather data on our pollinator insect population, to create pollinator habitat, and to increase entomological literacy around these insects.  The project is housed on the website (https://GGaPC.org ) and all information on the census is found there. The Insect Counting and Identification Guide gives detailed instructions on counting.  Interested citizens can sign up for a monthly newsletter full of information on pollinator gardening and insect identification.  This project is perfect for schools doing STEAM work and can be administered remotely for teachers whose schools are meeting virtually.  Educational pieces are posted on the Georgia Pollinator Census Facebook page and are available for teachers to copy for later use in the classroom.  An educator page including lesson plan links is attached to the website.

Won’t you join us this year? We are protecting pollinators one count at a time!  For more information contact your local UGA Cooperative Extension office at 229-276-2612 or Becky Griffin, project coordinator, at beckygri@uga.edu.

Written By: Becky Griffin, Project Coordinator

Edited/Submitted by: Joshua Grant, Crisp Co Ag Agent

and Becca Stackhouse, Crisp Co FACS Agent

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