The Secret Pollinators
Native pollinators are responsible for 1 in 3 bites of food we eat, but they are disappearing because nobody knows about them.
Secret Pollinators changes that - one tiny hero at a time.
Secret Pollinator Podcast reveals the secret world of native bees, butterflies, and other tiny heroes that actually do most of the heavy lifting in American gardens and ecosystems.
Latest Episodes
Browse through episodes from all of our podcast
Through the Eyes of a Bee - How Bees See a World We'll Never See
Bees have five eyes, can see colors that don't exist in the human visual spectrum, and nav...
My Article Featured in the Pollinator Partnership Bee Friendly Gardening Newsletter - American Bumble Bee
Exciting news — Kelly's article on the American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) was just...
The Bumblebee Who Rolled a Ball 117 Times for Fun
One bumblebee. One wooden ball. One hundred and seventeen times - with no reward, no train...
Can Bumblebees Play Soccer?
What happens when a scientist hands a bumblebee a wooden ball and a target — and offers a ...
Bumblebee Queens Can Breathe Underwater — And Scientists Just Figured Out How
Bumblebee queens spend up to nine months hibernating underground — and sometimes, that gro...
The First Ceramicists - When Native Bees Taught Us About Clay
🎉 Featured in Ceramics Now Magazine! The article companion to this episode was just publi...
No Bumble Bees, No Hatch Chile: The $60 Billion Pepper Secret
Dedicated to the Hatch chile pepper farmers of New Mexico and the Chihuahua desert region ...
Your Avocado Toast Owes Everything to a Bumblebee!
An avocado tree produces a million flowers to make a handful of fruit — and each flower sw...
Giant Fuzzy Bombers: Bumblebees Behind a $10 Billion Crop
One scientist called them "a monstrous, fluffy, ginger beast." Meet the giant bumble bees ...
The Billion Dollar Chocolate Crisis!
Research published in January 2025 from Penn State revealed a shocking truth: flies, the w...
The Speed Demons: Sphinx Moths & Carpenter Bees
Think hummingbirds are the only speed demons visiting your flowers? Meet the actual fastes...
The Billion Dollar Lithium Crisis vs. Native Bees: Are Electric Cars Worth It?
Brazil's "Lithium Valley" is booming—and native stingless bees are disappearing. In March ...
Secret Jurassic Pollinators in Your Garden
Discover the secret Jurassic-era pollinators working your garden right now! Tumbling flowe...
The Apple Orchard Conspiracy
One mason bee does the work of 100 honeybees—and saves orchardists $20,000 per year. Comme...
USDA Breaking News: The 18-Year Bumble Bee Cold Case
Breaking News from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture): No one has confirmed a ...
Bumblebee Nest Detection Software
NEW DEMO!
Bumblebee populations are declining, but their underground
nests are notoriously difficult to find and study.
This patent-pending detection software by Kelly Parks
changes that.
The tool combines vibration, audio, and thermal detection
methods to help researchers locate hidden nests accurately and non-invasively.
While vibration and audio sensors work with any smartphone,
adding a thermal camera accessory unlocks thermal imaging capabilities for even
more precise nest detection—providing the critical data needed for conservation
efforts.
Try it now and share your feedback! The software
is available to test for research and conservation purposes. Your field
experience and suggestions will help improve this tool for the broader
scientific community.
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