Bug Banter with the Xerces Society – Details, episodes & analysis

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Bug Banter with the Xerces Society

The Xerces Society

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/14d. Total Eps: 72

Join us as we explore the fascinating world of invertebrates and discover how to help these extraordinary animals.

The Xerces Society is a nationwide non-profit organization that works to conserve invertebrates and their habitats.

For more information go to xerces.org.

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - nature
19/08/2026
#64
🇺🇸 USA - nature
19/08/2026
#42
🇨🇦 Canada - nature
18/08/2026
#56
🇺🇸 USA - nature
18/08/2026
#85
🇨🇦 Canada - nature
17/08/2026
#39
🇺🇸 USA - nature
16/08/2026
#69
🇨🇦 Canada - nature
15/08/2026
#99
🇨🇦 Canada - nature
14/08/2026
#82
🇨🇦 Canada - nature
13/08/2026
#68
🇨🇦 Canada - nature
11/08/2026
#33

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Score global : 62%

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Bee City and Bee Campus USA: Protecting Pollinators One Community at a Time

Season 1 · Episode 24

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 • Duration 35:32

An important element in the success of pollinator conservation efforts is communities of passionate people taking action. Today we will highlight one Xerces Society program that is helping people to do just that, Bee City USA. Established in 2012, Bee City has been uniting communities around a shared goal of creating meaningful change for pollinators through policy change, habitat creation, and education.

To tell us about this wonderful program is Laura Rost, National Coordinator of Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA. Laura has been with the Xerces Society since 2014, first working in Membership, before transitioning into this role. Before Xerces, she worked for a variety of environmental groups on issues ranging from instream water rights to green building.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Exploring Wasps: Myths, Facts, and Fascinations

Season 1 · Episode 23

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 • Duration 42:55

Wasps. That word alone may make you squirm. They aren’t fluffy and cute like their close relatives bees and don’t have the best reputation, but they do play an important role in our environment. It seems like they need a PR makeover.

Joining us to do just that are Jennifer Hopwood and Rae Powers. They both work at the Xerces Society, and coincidentally, both live in Nebraska. Jennifer is a Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, and has been on Bug Banter before to talk about beetles. Rae is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist and NRCS Partner Biologist.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Floater, Sheepnose, and Cat’s Paw: Exploring the Fascinating World of Freshwater Mussels

Season 1 · Episode 14

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 • Duration 40:06

In this episode of Bug Banter, we are going underwater to highlight an invertebrate that isn’t an insect — the freshwater mussel. These animals may not be well-known but are powerhouses in our freshwater ecosystems, playing a critical role in our lakes and rivers.

We’re joined today by not only one but two guests! — Emilie Blevins and Jack Fetters, who are both conservation biologists on the Endangered Species team at the Xerces Society. Emilie serves as the lead on all freshwater mussel conservation work and Jack serves as a specialist on western freshwater mussel conservation work at Xerces.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Buzzing Canopies: Forests' Vital Role in Supporting Pollinator Diversity

Season 1 · Episode 13

Tuesday, March 26, 2024 • Duration 37:47

For many of us, if we were asked to describe a place that is good for bees, I suspect that we’d talk about somewhere that is open, sunny, and full of flowers — a garden, meadow, prairie, or hedgerow, maybe. The chances are that forests wouldn’t be high on that list. However, forests provide important resources for bees.

In this episode, we are joined by Kass Urban-Mead to talk about forests and bees. Kass works for the Xerces Society as a pollinator conservation specialist and NRCS Partner Biologist based in Philadelphia. From there, she collaborates with communities in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions to plan, design, install, and manage habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. She also climbed a lot of trees to study bees while completing her PhD at Cornell.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Bumbling Through Nature: Exploring the Fascinating Life History and Community Science of Bumble Bees

Season 1 · Episode 12

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 • Duration 44:49

Spend time in a garden and you’ll probably hear the buzzing of a bumble bee. These charismatic bees pollinate many of the foods and flowers that we love and, similar to other bees, their populations are in decline. Fortunately, there is a community science program to help us better understand the abundance and distribution of bumble bees across the US.

To talk more about this we are joined today by Rich Hatfield. Rich is deeply involved with studying and protecting bumble bees in his role as a Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist with the Xerces Society. You may also remember Rich from a previous Bug Banter, when we had a conversation about honey bees.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Life in the Dark: How Artificial Light is Impacting Insects

Season 1 · Episode 11

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 • Duration 42:24

Light pollution. Go outside at night and you’ll notice them — lights on buildings, in gardens, along streets, glowing on the horizon. It might not seem like much, but this is changing the world for animals that rely on darkness. Imagine evolving for millions of years with only the stars and moon and now being faced with a landscape full of additional light.

What happens to insects when the night is full of light? Can fireflies coexist in urban areas? Are there things we can do to reduce our impact?

Joining us today to talk about these and questions is Dr. Avalon Owens from the Rowland Institute at Harvard. Avalon received her Ph.D. in Biology from Tufts University in spring 2022, where she studied the impact of artificial light on bioluminescent fireflies. She also holds a B.A. in Integrative Biology from Harvard University and an M.S. in Entomology from National Taiwan University.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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The Magic of Fireflies: Flashing Lights, Glowing Worms, and Chemical Reactions

Season 1 · Episode 10

Tuesday, February 6, 2024 • Duration 40:41

Fireflies. Just the word evokes for many people memories of summer evenings filled with magic and awe. From their flashy mating displays to their glowing larvae, these iconic insects have captured our hearts. Unfortunately, fireflies have started to disappear from the landscape. What is causing this decline and what can we do to help?

Joining us this week to talk about incredible insects is Richard Joyce. Richard is an Endangered Species Conservation Biologist at the Xerces Society where he works with researchers and land managers to survey for and conserve fireflies, and coordinates many aspects of the Firefly Atlas, a nationwide community-science project.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Surviving Winter: What Heat-loving Butterflies do during the Cold Months

Season 1 · Episode 9

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 • Duration 39:28

We’ve previously talked about overwintering monarchs seeking refuge in warmer climates, but what do other butterflies do during the winter? Do they also migrate? Do all butterflies overwinter as adults? If so, where do they hide — in leaves or rock piles or up in the trees? If not, how do they survive — what do these warm-loving butterflies do during the winter?

To answer these questions and help us explore the world of wintering butterflies is Kevin Burls, Xerces Society Endangered Species Conservation Biologist. Kevin has spent several seasons searching for endemic and at-risk butterfly species in Nevada, and his work now focuses on protecting the hundreds of butterfly species that inhabit deserts, forests, and grasslands across the western United States.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Nature's Original Transformers: The Amazing Beetles

Season 1 · Episode 8

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 • Duration 34:24

We are all familiar with beetles. Look around your home or neighborhood and you’ll find them, but how familiar are we? What makes a beetle a beetle? How many different species are there? What role do they play in our world?

To help us explore the world of beetles is Jennifer Hopwood, who works for the Xerces Society as a Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist – a job title that doesn’t really encompass all that she does. Yes, Jennifer provides advice and training for restoring and managing pollinator habitat in a variety of landscapes, but she also focuses on conserving other beneficial insects, including beetles. Jennifer has authored many articles and publications, and is a co-author of several books, including Farming with Native Beneficial Insects.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Saving the Bees: Why Honey Bees Are Not the Answer

Season 1 · Episode 7

Tuesday, December 19, 2023 • Duration 43:59

No bee is as popular as the honey bee. When we think of a bee, many of us think of this charismatic social bee that lives in large colonies, does the wiggle dance, produces the honey we love, and pollinates many of our crops. Although honey bees can be found all over North America, they only arrived in the 17th century by way of European settlers. Aside from honey bees, in North America, thousands of native bees can be found on the landscape.

We’ve all heard that bees are in decline. As a non-native species, are honey bees the answer to helping us “save the bees”? How do honey bees interact with our native bees on the landscape?

Joining us to help answer these questions is Rich Hatfield. Rich is Xerces Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist and Bumble Bee Conservation Lead, and manages all aspects of the Xerces Society’s work on bumble bees. This includes community science projects, as well as understanding the threats to bumble bees and actions we can take to protect them. Rich has studied the factors that impact bumble bees, including the presence of honey bees in our landscapes.

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

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Bug Banter with the Xerces Society – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Bug Banter with the Xerces Society – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify