Dr. Heather Grab is an assistant professor in the department of entomology at Penn State University, where her research and extension programs help growers to balance pest management needs with the services provided by beneficial insects like wild pollinators. Prior to joining Penn State, she was a senior lecturer and postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University and at Virginia Tech where she studied the pollination services provided by wild bees to high value crops like strawberries, raspberries, tomato and squash. 

She'll give a talk on The Behavior and Nesting Biology of Bumble Bees. Bumble bees are a diverse and charismatic group of bees that exhibit a wide range of lifestyles. While they are social and can even be managed like their honey bee cousins they also have many differences that are important to consider when fostering environments where both bumble bees and humans can coexist peacefully. This talk will cover the basic life history and ecology of bumble bees with a focus on their nesting biology.