Learn to count Pollinators at next Backyard Association Meeting

From Special Reports

Bees in your backyard? How about butterflies and even wasps? Becky Griffin of the University of Georgia’s Center for Urban Agriculture will teach you how to conduct an insect count at the May meeting of the Coweta County Master Gardeners Backyard Association.

“The Importance of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census,” a Coweta County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers presentation, begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11.

The virtual meeting will be hosted via ZOOM, https://bit.ly/BYA2021BeckyGriffin  Meeting ID:  915 8993 5826 Passcode: 037748.

Griffin, a Georgia Certified Beekeeper, organizes school garden teacher training with county agents, and assists schools with starting and sustaining successful gardens.

A member of the University of Georgia’s Native Plants and Beneficial Insect Working Group, she is the coordinator of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, taking place on Aug. 20-21, 2021.

“With populations declining for many pollinator insects, including bees, a citizen-based census was suggested to raise awareness and to create a snapshot for many different species,” she says. “Citizens from all over the state are invited to count pollinators.”

Griffin stresses that census participants need not be entomologists or know very much about bugs — they only need to know how to count and what to look for.

The Great Georgia Pollinator Census is open for registration online. To register or for more information, visit www.ggapc.org.

The Backyard Association is an educational program sponsored by the Coweta County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers (MGEVs). The presentations are free to the public and are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.   

More Information: www.ugaextension.org/coweta