Citizen scientists help monitor local bee populations

Eileen Graessle leaned in close to a patch of milkweed, as she tried to capture a photo of a honeybee in motion. It was a difficult task, but one that Graessle relished as a volunteer for the BeeBlitz citizen science project on Saturday in Forest Park. The annual event aims to help researchers determine which species are present in the city and how their populations are changing. “It helps to study the way that they move,” said Graessle, an amateur beekeeper who lives in Ballwin. “I also take multiple shots and then usually some of those come out exciting and defined.”