<< Back 7/31/02 Haywood student studies bees for internship SMN Jessica Jaynes, a 2002 graduate of Tuscola High School, is one of several students working on an internship this summer at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning center at Purchase Knob, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Jaynes, who is working with the Learning Center staff, is involved in research to collect bees and other insects responsible for pollinating some of the wildflowers in the park. Jaynes, who is planning to study biological sciences at North Carolina State University this fall, has established research routines at Purchase Knob, Cataloochee Valley, and Balsam Mountain Campground. The interns were given initial training by Dr. Terry Griswold, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Bee Biology and Systematics Lab in Logan, Utah. Paul Super, science coordinator for the Learning Center, provides ongoing guidance for the studies. At each of the sites, passive traps are used to catch the pollinators. Jaynes sets these traps out early in the morning and leaves them for most of the day. In the afternoon she collects the insects and sorts and labels the pollinators, and makes museum specimens of them. Jaynes also collects bees from selected wildflower species with a net. “I’ve gotten pretty good at catching the bees,” said Jaynes. “I haven’t been stung at all and that’s a result of all I’ve learned about bees. The work sounds pretty simple and it is, but the information that can be obtained is vital to the livelihood of the park.” Since bees are only active on sunny days, on cloudy days Jaynes is working on a poster about her work that will be presented at the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory Annual Meetings in Gatlinburg, Tenn., in December. The internship was made possible through a grant from Discover Life in America, the organization that assists the park with its inventory. “The highlight of my summer research has been discovering a moth on a fly-poison plant that had never been recorded before in the park’s history,” said Jaynes. “Since many flies mimic a bee’s appearance, I have become successful in recognizing a bee from a fly and other bee imitators. I have learned about many rare flowering plants. “While researching pollinators, I have had the opportunity to hike and enjoy the untouched beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” Jaynes said. “My summer research is challenging and rewarding and will provide substantial scientific knowledge for the park and to take with me to college as I pursue a degree in biology.”