The University of Iowa became a Bee Campus in 2022, committing to expanding native pollinator habitat, increasing pollinator education and awareness, and sustaining a committee to guide and monitor these promises. The Office of Sustainability and the Environment's Campus Conservation and Discovery Interns help advance these goals by maintaining existing initiatives and developing new opportunities to support pollinators on campus.

Over the summer of 2026, Campus Conservation and Discovery Interns performed various pollinator surveys of green spaces on campus. Periodic identification and counting were conducted from June to August (including peak bumble bee season). Their short-term goal was to collect data on what kinds of species are present in designated pollinator gardens, plants and insects alike. This was done by identifying the plants visited by pollinators and the pollinator species visiting them. The long-term goal is to assess the diversity of these pollinator gardens and compare diversity between different gardens.

The interns obtained their pollinator identification knowledge by completing online training through the Bumble Bee Atlas (Xerces Society) and attending an in-person training event for catch-and-release and photography surveying.

Since Iowa City is in a “high potential zone” for the federally endangered rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), a federal permit is needed to capture the bees for identification.  The interns did not obtain the permit, so they did not catch any bumble bees on campus during their surveys. Thus, surveys were conducted using a non-catch ID method, photography, and the assistance of iNaturalist (a crowdsourcing wildlife identification app). The non-catch ID method involves identifying the plants within the garden and then counting and identifying the pollinators that visit those plants. iNaturalist, was used when interns needed help identifying unfamiliar species. Photos were taken during some surveys using a digital camera to get close-ups of the insects. These photos were then submitted to iNaturalist’s public database to confirm their identity through peer-review.

A total of seven green spaces were surveyed including two control sites, Hubbard Park and the Pentacrest (not pollinator gardens). Some notable findings from the summer include 3 rusty-patched bumble bee sightings at the IMU Footbridge and 2 more at the Catlett/Chemistry Pollinator Garden, 20 denticulate longhorn bees on the Ironweed at the Catlett and Seamans Center gardens, and over 70 Western Honeybees on the Calamint at the IMU Footbridge.

Much more data collection is necessary to analyze diversity among the pollinator gardens on campus. This summer has been a start to gathering information, but the interns have long-term goals to see how diversity changes with a variety of plant species and resources and with space and connectivity. One intern is in the process of developing a plot method for comparing effectiveness and biodiversity, both between gardens and within the same one. The plants and insects within a certain plot are identified and then compared to other plots within that same garden or another garden with similar characteristics. This method will help determine the effects on diversity over time. Many variables can impact how “effective” each plot is, including size of the whole garden, connectivity across gardens, preferred plant species among certain pollinators, topography, and external conditions. It's well established that environments with diverse native plant habitat are better equipped to support a wide range of pollinator species.  Through its commitment to the Bee Campus designation, the University of Iowa is expanding pollinator habitats and through the intern surveys, we are beginning to quantify how those habitats are supporting pollinators locally.