Bumblebees with Richard Herman

By Kelly McGowan

Published August 19, 2026 at 9:45 AM CDT

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On this episode of Growing the Ozarks, Kelly talks with Springfield Plateau Master Naturalist Richard Herman about bumblebees.

While honeybees tend to receive most attention, other bees also play a big part in our ecosystem. Bumblebees are an important and interesting native insect with several different species. Herman discusses the lifecycle of bumblebees, different species of bumblebees, and ways we can help them, such as Citizen Science projects like the Bumble Bee Atlas.

For a captioned video of this podcast, click here.

Growing the Ozarks

Kelly McGowan

Kelly McGowan has been with University of Missouri Extension for 12 years and serves as a Field Specialist in Horticulture working with home gardeners and commercial fruit and vegetable producers in southwest Missouri. Areas of concentration include vegetable production, soil fertility, pollinator education, sustainable home landscapes, and serving as coordinator for local Master Gardener and Master Naturalist chapters. Research interests include elderberries, commercial lavender production, commercial garlic production, grafted tomato plant production, and cut flower production.

See stories by Kelly McGowan