Pollinator Tournament 2025

Cornell Cooperative Extension-Yates County is launching the 4th Annual Yates County Pollinator Tournament on June 4th, 2025, to celebrate National Pollinator Month. We invite the community to choose which pollinator to crown in this March Madness-style bracket challenge, where pollinators are pitted against each other for your vote. This year, our competitors are all from the genus Andrena.

Why Pollinators Matter

Inspired by the National Park Service’s “Fat Bear Week,” this tournament aims to educate the community and raise awareness of the variety and importance of pollinators in supporting and maintaining agriculture.

**What is Genus Andrena?**

Andrena bees, commonly known as mining bees, are vital pollinators of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees across New York and North America.

All bees in the Andrena genus are solitary, meaning they do not form colonies or raise their young collectively. However, some species may build nests in close proximity, sometimes forming clusters of thousands. This can create the illusion of a massive bee colony!

Female Andrena bees dig their nests using their hind legs, creating burrows that range from a few inches to as deep as nine feet, depending on the species. Within these burrows, the female constructs small chambers called cells. Each cell holds a single egg and a ball of pollen and nectar to nourish the larva once it hatches.

After sealing each cell, the female moves on to create the next. Over their brief adult lives—typically lasting two to six weeks—female Andrena bees lay between 20 and 25 eggs.

The next generation remains underground until the following spring, emerging just in time to coincide with the season’s first blooms.

How It Works

Like previous tournaments, this year’s event will run over five weeks as an interactive event through our social media channels. Each week, a face-off will feature eight pollinators, along with fun facts about each species. Vote for your favorite and see which will advance to the next round.

Click here to cast your vote for Round 1!

2025 Pollinator Tournament

Past Pollinators of the Year

For more information, visit our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CCEYates), Twitter (https://twitter.com/CCEYates), or YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@CCEYates).

Pollinators are vital to creating and maintaining the habitats and ecosystems that native animals rely upon for food and shelter, as well as to farmers, nursery owners, and produce growers for their economic livelihoods. However, only one can be named Yates County's Pollinator of the Year.