Introduction to Native Bees with Kandis Gilmore

Did you know that California is home to over 1,600 unique species of bees? While many are familiar with the European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera, and might recognize a bumble bee or carpenter bee, there’s a vast world of diverse and fascinating native bees thriving in our gardens and natural landscapes, waiting to be explored!

Join entomologist Kandis Gilmore for an exciting and hands-on workshop all about native bees. We’ll begin the day indoors, where you'll learn how to identify the major bee families in California. Then, in the afternoon, we’ll head outdoors to observe these incredible creatures in their natural habitats, exploring the beautiful gardens and natural areas around the Laguna Foundation. Kandis will guide you through the safe and fun process of handling bees for catch-and-release viewing. To wrap up, we’ll gather indoors once more to examine our live bee specimens, compare them to pinned ones, and dive deeper into the world of bees using field guides. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover and connect with the buzzing life around us!

Instructor Bio: Kandis Gilmore is broadly trained in organismal biology and ecology. She has worked as a field assistant in the rocky intertidal, oak woodlands, and vernal pool grassland ecosystems. She received her Master's of Science degree from Sonoma State Biology Department in 2017. Her master's thesis research focused on pollinators of three of Sonoma County's endemic and endangered vernal pool plant species Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine), Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam, and Lasthenia burkei (Burke's Goldfields). Kandis serves on the Board of Directors of Conservation Works, and served as president of the Pacific Coast Entomological Society during 2020-2021.

She enjoys participating in biodiversity outreach events, spending time outdoors with her family, and is currently learning to play the ukulele.

Host or Publisher Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation