Honeybees get all the attention, but native bees are the underbugs to root for. Photographer, author, and National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman shows us the wonders of indigenous bees through her lens focused on conservation of bees and their habitats. She covers their lifecycles, tunnels, turrets, fuzzy butts, frat house cuddling, and sexual dimorphism. We also chat about taxonomic fisticuffs, bee hotels, the mustard blight, monocultures, the teeniest livestock, and how to appreciate and photograph all of the marvels you’ve been overlooking. So grab a sunhat, order her deck of native bee flashcards, fill up your water bottle, and let's stare into the bushes to meet some tiny new friends. 

Get Krystle Hickman’s gorgeous native bee flashcards, Native Bees of the Western United States, Volume 1

Links to Krystle’s work

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More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy:, Aperiology (MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY), Melittology (BEES), Spheksology (WASPS), Kinetic Salticidology (DANCING SPIDERS), Entomology (INSECTS), FIELD TRIP: How to Change Your Life via the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Delphinology (DOLPHINS), Xylology (LUMBER), P-22: The Life & Death of an L.A. Cougar , Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS), Acaropathology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Diplopodology (MILLIPEDES & CENTIPEDES), Dipterology (FLIES), Myrmecology (ANTS) Encore, Sparklebuttology (FIREFLIES), Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES), Scorpiology (SCORPIONS), Lepidopterology (BUTTERFLIES)

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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media and Mark David Christenson

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn