Frequently Asked Questions

The Census is designed for people in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. We encourage school groups, gardeners, families, and individuals to take part. You do not need to be an entomologist; we ask only for basic insect identification into these categories:

• Bumble bees
• Carpenter bees
• Honey bees
• Small bees
• Wasps
• Flies
• Butterflies/Moths
• Other Insects

An Insect Counting and Identification Guide and instructional videos are also available to help participants prepare.

This year’s Census takes place on August 21 and 22, 2026.

Choose a favorite pollinator plant — a plant from your garden that shows insect activity, for example. Count and identify the insects that land on the flowers of that plant for 15 minutes. After counting, return to this website to add your counts to the database.

Yes. We are technically counting insect visits, not just the number of insects, so count each time any insect lands on your plant — regardless of whether it has been there before.

Choose a part of the plant to count — about 2 feet by 2 feet — that you feel comfortable getting accurate counts from.

Absolutely!

Yes. We have lesson plans and ideas for teachers, which can be found in our educator resources.

Yes. Some companies encourage their employees to count as part of company outreach. Other businesses, like restaurants and breweries, make an event of the count, asking their customers to join. Businesses can also build a small pollinator garden or add pollinator-attracting plants to their existing spaces. Here are some ways businesses can participate:

• Set aside time during the workday for employees to count as part of your company’s public-outreach efforts.
• Host a special lunch for employees and their families with pollinator-based food, such as watermelon salsa or apple salad.
• Create an event for customers or clients to come and count insects — we can help promote your event on the website.
• Make sure you are comfortable with the Census counting criteria; maybe do a practice count or two.
• Tour your garden space, noting plants that will be blooming during the Census dates, and consider labeling them with plant names for participants.
• Use the insect mascots and graphics for your flyers, stickers, social-media promotion, and event signage.
• Download the Insect Counting and Identification Guide and the counting presentation; consider printing a few copies of the Guide for counting days.
• Post your event details on the Georgia Pollinator Census Facebook page to spread the word.
• Print counting sheets and have pens, pencils, and clipboards ready for participants.
• Plan your event to show off your space so participants want to return after the Census.
• Collect counting sheets and upload them to the website — you can total all counts and note how many people counted. You will have several days after the Census to upload.
• Print the Participation Certificate and display it proudly.

Plant some pollinator-friendly plants, such as:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Butterfly milkweed
• Blue giant hyssop
• Raydon’s favorite aster
• Purple coneflower
• Dwarf tickseed
• Catmint

For a sample garden layout, see the small garden space designed by landscape architect Andie Culbertson. (Garden layout diagrams coming soon.)

• National / Georgia: Becky Griffin — University of Georgia Extension — beckygri@uga.edu
• South Carolina: Amy Dabbs — Clemson Extension — adabbs@clemson.edu
• North Carolina: Amanda Bratcher — North Carolina Cooperative Extension — amwilkin@ncsu.edu
• Florida: Jeremy Rhoden — University of Florida Extension — jeremy.k.rhoden@ufl.edu
• Alabama: Bethany O’Rear — Alabama Cooperative Extension — bethany@auburn.edu
• Mississippi: Kaylin Bruening — Mississippi State University’s Coastal Conservation & Restoration Program — kb3328@msstate.edu

“We are protecting the Southeast’s pollinators one count at a time!”— Becky Griffin, project coordinator