ow important are trees to the health of bees? In many cases we don’t know because trees are a lot bigger than us. That doesn’t stop our next guest from scaling into the canopy for her research. This week we feature PhD Candidate Kass Urban-Mead. 

Kass is working on PhD in Entomology at Cornell University. She is interested in wild bee biology, conservation, and sustainable agriculture. She thinks wild bees are top-notch because not only are they endlessly fascinating critters biologically, but an accessible entry point for connecting with people of all backgrounds about our interconnected global ecological web. Her research focuses on wild bee populations in forests and orchards, and how bees differently use these habitats over time and space. Specifically, she explores the often overlooked canopy resources and vertical habitat spatial use. Kass spends a lot of time on local farms, and ultimately hopes her research will contribute to forest management recommendations to support important agricultural pollinators. When not in the woods, Kass is singing shape note or coaching kids’ roller derby. Long term, she is interested in a career at the intersection of outreach, extension, and policy.

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Links Mentioned:

Kass’ website
The McArt Lab (Cornell University)
The Danforth Lab (Cornell University)
Kass’ Book Recommendation: Danforth, B.N., R.L. Minckley, J.L. Neff (2019). The Solitary Bees: Biology, Evolution, Conservation. Princeton University Press
Kass’ Go to Tool: Big Shot Sligshot (video demonstration)
Kass’ Favorite Bee: Andrena (University of Minnesota video) and Nomada