Tri-colored Bumblebee (Bombus ternaruis) found at Rogers Center. (Submitted photo)

SHERBURNE — New York State is home to about 450 species of native bees, yet when asked, most people only know about honeybees (not native) and bumblebees. Several of NY’s native bees are experiencing population decline, and at least one, the federally-listed rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), hasn’t been seen in years.

Join Rogers Center’s Environmental Educator Ellen Rathbone on Saturday, August 12 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for a morning looking for and identifying some resident native bees. Learn about the B-Team, Rogers Center’s community science project that is collecting data about the native bees of Central New York, discover how you can be a part of this vital research, and find out what you can do to help native bees. Bring your cell phone to learn how it can be used to collect data for this project.