Got bees? Scientists want your help counting bumble bees this summer

Have you been paying attention to the number of bumble bees this year?

Well, scientists are asking you to keep track.

"We needed the help of citizens to help find out where these animals are living and how many of them are out there," saidRich Hatfield, senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Over the next few weeks, you can take part in theGreat Canadian Bumble Bee Count.

You're asked to count bees to help scientists surveythe species across Canada.Think of it as a census for pollinators.

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How can you help?

"We are asking Canadians to get out into their garden and venture out into natural areas and green space," said Hatfield.

"There they can snap photos of bumble bees that they see on flowers and they can upload those photos onto our site."

From there, the site has a team of experts that looks at the photos and verifiesthe species.

"This information is essential for bumble bee conservation. It's helps us to target locations where bumble bee numbersare low and that helps us understand where maybe not a lot of bumble bees are," said Hatfield.

He said that it will also help them distinguish invasive species.

TheGreat Canadian Bumble Bee Count runs until Aug 15.