The University of Maine at Fort Kent Blake Library Gallery will host an exhibit of photographs entitled “Bumble Bees of the St. John Valley” by retired UMFK emeritus professor Dave Hobbins during the month of March.
The exhibit presents general information on bumble bees; bee biology; the life cycle of a colony, local bumble bee species; and a few tips to favor native bees in your yard or neighborhood.
Dave Hobbins’s fascination with bumble bees is reflected in his exhibit. He said, “The bumble bee, being among the largest of our native bees, are social creatures that form small colonies and inhabit temperate to arctic regions of the world.”
The exhibit is also based on work he has continued since his first involvement with the Maine Bumble Bee Atlas (MBBA) in 2016. According to their website, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) initiated the MBBA project in order to document the diversity, distribution, and abundance of bumble bees in Maine. The project utilizes volunteer citizen scientists from across Maine to increase the knowledge of the status of the state’s bumble bees over multiple years.
Dave Hobbins retired from UMFK in 2018. He resides in Fort Kent with his wife of 32 years and continues to pursue his interests in hiking, history, backyard astronomy, native bees, and working his woodlot.
You can view the gallery exhibit, “Bumble Bees of the St John Valley,” during the Blake Library hours. Library hours can be viewed at https://library.umfk.edu/about/staffhrs/.
For more information on the exhibit, please contact Gallery Curator Sofia Birden at sbirden@maine.edu or 207-834-7527.