BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Scientists from the University of Delaware and the U.S. Geological Survey are conducting a census of native bees in Maryland and Delaware.

They’re collecting bees from scores of sites, including more than a dozen owned by The Nature Conservancy, to check them for health and diversity.

Nature Conservancy spokeswoman Lindsay Mayer says that while much has been written about dwindling numbers of non-native honeybees, researchers are also interested in the health and diversity of native bees.

Mayer says the study will also help determine the health of bee habitat.

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