A major step forward was taken for the conservation of pollinators this year when the DuPage Monarch Project and DuPage County GIS Division came together to answer the question of how much habitat is available for pollinators in DuPage County and where is it? The GIS Division received the Pollinator Protector of the Year Award for creating an online habitat mapping tool for answering that question.

The impetus for mapping pollinator habitat came from a new honey bee ordinance passed by DuPage County in 2024 which made it easier to raise bees on residential land in unincorporated areas. In anticipation of more hives and greater pressure on existing floral resources, Commissioner Lucy Chang Evans reached out to the DuPage Monarch Project (DMP) to discuss how more habitat could be established to meet the growing need for forage. It was decided the first step was knowing the amount and location of existing habitat.

A natural area with an abundance of native flowers providing nectar and pollen for native bees and butterflies. Springfield Park, Bloomingdale, IL

Tom Ricker, GIS Manager, Tamara Freihat, Senior GIS Analyst and Mary Elliot, Senior GIS Analyst created a Pollinator Habitat Map that provides a landscape-scale view of the amount and location of pollinator habitat in DuPage County. Habitat is defined as those places, either natural or restored, where pollinators can find native plants with the nectar and pollen they need to thrive. The natural areas are submitted to the map through an online Hubsite. Many of these areas are found in parks, preserves and cities but all native plantings, such as monarch or pollinator gardens at schools, churches, businesses and residences qualify as habitat and can also be added to the map.

When the map is completed, we will be able to assess the impact of honey bee hives on the surrounding foraging resources. Balancing hives with the amount of forage needed to sustain both honey and native bees is critical for protecting the many species of native bees that aren’t managed by people.

Knowing where there is habitat will also help identify where new natural areas can be added to improve habitat connectivity. Connected habitat increases the genetic diversity of native bees, expands the availability of flowers for pollen specialist bees and may be instrumental in repopulating areas subject to disturbances such as flooding or exposure to pesticides.

Native Bees & Honey Bees

Each commercial and hobbyist honey bee hive produces thousands of workers capable of foraging over a two-mile area for nectar and pollen. They compete for food with native bees and other beneficial insects, many of which are declining and some are listed as threatened or endangered.

Native bees pollinate crops and increase their yields. They also play an important role in sustaining the eco-systems providing valuable services for people.

Bumble bee and honey bee foraging on blue vervain flowers.

The Pollinator Habitat Mapping initiative puts DuPage County at the forefront of pollinator conservation. Supporting native bees and other wildlife helps nature thrive—and may inspire other communities to work together on creating landscapes that protect what the American biologist E.O. Wilson called “the little things that run the world.”