BeeSpotters are offered the choice of either (or both!) of two participation options, regular and standardized. The two options are the same in the amount of time and effort required, because both of them involve doing the same thing (taking pictures of bees, and sending the pictures to us). The primary difference between the two options is that, in the standardized option, photos are taken according to a pre-planned schedule. These two different options are offered because they will serve different purposes.

In the REGULAR option, the BeeSpotter takes photos of bees and sends the photos to us (along with info on where, when, and by whom the bees were photographed, which is required for all submitted photos); no designation is needed that the photos were taken under regular option. Purpose: submissions done under the regular option will give us baseline information on where and when bee species can be spotted.

In the STANDARDIZED option, the BeeSpotter will follow a particular photography schedule every year for a number of successive years; photos taken under the standardized option should be designated as such (as explained in the link below). Purpose: submissions done under the standardized option will provide monitoring information that will be applicable to addressing the question of whether or not bees really are declining over time in a given area. If you are interested in submitting photos under this option, please CLICK HERE.

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