On May 2, 2024, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)ﾒs Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university research partners developed a near chromosome-level genome for the Mojave poppy bee, a specialist pollinator of conservation concern, according to a recent Journal of Heredity paper.

Putting together the Mojave poppy bee genome is part of the Beenome100 project, a first-of-its-kind effort to create a library of high-quality, highly detailed genome maps of 100 or more diverse bee species found in the United States. Beenome100 is a collaborative undertaking led by ARS and the University of Illinois, with collaboration of researchers across ARS and universities in the United States and Canada.