Wild Honeybee Atlas

Terms of Use

Last Updated:

Welcome

The Wild Honeybee Atlas (“the Atlas”) is a participatory monitoring platform operated by Apis Arborea, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. By creating an account, you agree to the following terms.

1. Acceptable Use

The Atlas exists to document, monitor, and support free-living honeybee populations worldwide. As a registered custodian, you agree to:

  • Submit honest and accurate observations to the best of your ability.
  • Respect and protect wild honeybee nesting sites. Observe without disturbing. Do not collect, relocate, or interfere with colonies.
  • Not trespass on private land. If you report a colony on private property, you confirm that you have the landowner’s permission to access and observe the site.
  • Use Atlas data only for purposes consistent with conservation, education, and research. You may not use location data to target, disturb, collect, or destroy wild honeybee colonies.
  • Treat fellow custodians and community members with respect.

2. Your Contributions — Data License

When you submit an observation, photograph, or other record to the Atlas, you retain ownership of your contribution. You grant Apis Arborea a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, analyze, and publish your contributed data as part of the Atlas and in related research, education, and conservation efforts — including academic publications and partner collaborations such as the Galbreath research program.

Contributed data is shared with the Atlas community under a spirit of openness and reciprocity. Your Custodian username is permanently attached to every nest and monitoring report you submit. It serves as your unique identifier in the Atlas — other custodians can search and filter by username to find your contributions, and it is included in downloadable data exports. Your username cannot be changed after registration. Depending on what you enter as your username, it may contain your name or email address, so choose accordingly.

Apis Arborea may make contributed data available to academic researchers, NGOs, and community organizations in keeping with its mission.

3. Location Sensitivity

Wild colony and TreeNest coordinates are sensitive information. Precise locations, if made fully public, could invite disturbance, collection, or trespass — particularly from those who view honeybees as invasive.

  • Exact nest coordinates are visible only to registered custodians within the Atlas.
  • Apis Arborea reserves the right to obscure or generalize coordinates in any public-facing maps, exports, or publications.
  • If you report a nest on private land, you are responsible for having the landowner’s permission. Apis Arborea is not responsible for unauthorized access by others.

4. Privacy

Apis Arborea collects the following personal information during registration: your name, email address, mailing address, and your responses to the registration questionnaire.

  • Why we collect your address: Your address places you on the map so we can connect you with nearby observations and monitoring windows. In return, the Atlas shares nest locations with you — this is a mutual exchange, and your information is part of it.
  • Your data is never sold. Apis Arborea does not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for commercial purposes.
  • Your data stays within the platform. Personal information is used only for Atlas operations: account management, notifications, and community coordination.
  • You may request deletion. You may ask Apis Arborea to delete your account and associated personal information at any time by contacting us. Contributed observation data (nest records, monitoring reports) may be retained in anonymized form for research continuity.

Apis Arborea uses WordPress and ArcGIS Online as its technology platforms. Your data is subject to those services’ own privacy and security practices.

5. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

The Atlas is provided as a free resource. Apis Arborea makes no guarantees regarding the availability, accuracy, or completeness of the platform or its data.

  • Data loss. Apis Arborea is not liable for loss, corruption, or unavailability of contributed data. If your records are important to you, we encourage you to download copies using the tools provided.
  • Physical risk. Monitoring wild honeybee colonies involves inherent risks, including but not limited to bee stings, allergic reactions, exposure to weather, and hazards associated with accessing remote or elevated nesting sites. By participating, you acknowledge these risks and agree that Apis Arborea, its officers, directors, volunteers, and partners are not liable for injury, illness, or death arising from your monitoring activities.
  • Third-party use of data. Apis Arborea is not responsible for how others use data obtained from the Atlas, including nest location information shared within the custodian community.

6. Minors

Users under the age of 18 may participate with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. The consenting adult assumes responsibility for the minor’s activities and agrees to these terms on their behalf.

7. Enforcement and Removal

Apis Arborea reserves the right to suspend or remove any custodian account that violates these terms — including submitting false data, using the platform to target or disturb colonies, harassment of other community members, or any activity contrary to the Atlas’s conservation mission. You agreed to these terms when you registered; that agreement is the basis for any enforcement action.

8. Changes to These Terms

Apis Arborea may update these terms as the platform evolves. Significant changes will be communicated via the Atlas announcements system. Continued use of the Atlas after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact

For questions about these terms, data requests, or account deletion: atlas@apisarborea.org