Limestone County residents invited: “Bee” a part of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census

Published 1:06 pm Friday, July 25, 2025

An annual count of the insects that make life flourish all across the Southeast is coming to Limestone County in August, and residents of all ages are invited to take part. 

On August 22 and 23, the Great Southeast Pollinator Census — a research project spearheaded by the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and its research partners — will take a count of the bees and other insects that frequent local plant life. Participants in the citizen-driven science project will help conduct the count via direct observation in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. 

In preparation for the count, local Master Gardeners and the Athens-Limestone Public Library are hosting two informative classes to help participants identify the nine categories of pollinators included in this year’s census. The classes will be held at the library on August 12 at 12:30 p.m., as well as at 6 p.m. later that same day. 

Both sessions will meet in the ALCPL Community Room at the library (located at 603 South Jefferson Street in Athens). Kids and adults are equally encouraged to take part. 

Participating in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census is easy and even fun — especially when equipped with a little helpful knowledge in advance. When the census arrives on August 22-23, citizen census-takers will count insect visits to the flowers of a local pollinator plant over a period of 15 minutes, noting which type of insect they observe from among the project’s designated categories (carpenter bees, bumble bees, honey bees, other bees, wasps, flies, butterflies/moths, and other insects).

There’s no cost to attend the classes or to be a part of the census. For more information about the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, including its history and its mission, visit the project’s website at gsepc.org.