Entomologist and urban bee specialist Doug Sponsler joins Billy and Tony early in the morning in a community garden spot in West Philadelphia to observe squash bees and talk about what counts as native. Squash are not strictly native to Philadelphia. They were introduced by Indians before European colonization. The bees followed the squash cultivation from its original distribution. Are they native? How much does it matter?

Squash bees in a squash flower.

We discuss research about squash bee pollination efficiency:

Tepedino, Vincent J. “The Pollination Efficiency of the Squash Bee (Peponapis Pruinosa) and the Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) on Summer Squash (Cucurbita Pepo).” Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, vol. 54, no. 2, 1981, pp. 359–377.

We also discuss research about squash bee range expansion as they followed expansion of squash cultivation:

And the guy stung by the yellow jackets on the lip.

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