Our home and native bees

You may not know is that the common honey bee is imported from Europe.

Bees native to Canada are found throughout the country and live in both rural areas and big cities. While these native bees don’t produce honey like their European counterparts, they provide something equally valuable – pollination.

‘Intrafloral commerce’ in the city
Pollination is the movement of pollen grains between flowers that leads to plant reproduction. Worldwide, 88 per cent of plants depend on pollinators for fertilization.

With the help of friendly pollinators, plants are the cornerstones of ecosystems. They form the base of the food chain, anchor soil to prevent erosion, and decompose and absorb nutrients. In essence, our planet is supported on the wings of bees and other pollinators.

Food security
Native pollinators are  also essential to the reproduction of many of the cultivated crops  that we depend upon . In fact, one-third of what we eat – things like apples,  peaches, pumpkins, coffee and almonds – depend on pollinators.

In economic terms, the value of pollination for Canadian food crops has been conservatively estimated at $1.2 billion a year. Research has shown reduced crop yields as pollinator diversity declines. This suggests that a robust community including numerous bee species and other pollinators is necessary for sustaining local agricultural production and ensuring local food security.

Native Bees
There are many different types of pollinators, from butterflies to hummingbirds to bats. In Canada, native bees are the most common pollinators and have striking differences to the traditional European honeybee. There are over 800 native bee species in Canada!

Pollinator Decline in Canada
The decline of European honeybees (ccd reference removed) has been widely documented in recent years. Native bees in North America also  face significant threats due to habitat loss and degradation, such as the conversion of natural areas to subdivisions, big-box stores and sterile lawns. Pesticide use also contributes to the decline of bees and other pollinating insects. The rustytinged bumblebee and the yellow-banded bumblebee are two native bee populations known to be declining in Canada.

Ecosystem Services—a new way of seeing things
Healthy ecosystems provide Canadians and their environment with ecological services that are often invaluable and hard to replicate through artificial methods. Examples of ecosystem services include: water purification, carbon sequestration, climate regulation and nutrient cycling. In Canada, many of these services are in jeopardy due to the degradation of ecosystems. Pollination is one of these services.

Our lives depend upon the successful regeneration of plants, and the majority of plant regeneration in turn depends upon pollinators (primarily bees). If sufficient habitat is not maintained and restored to support native bee populations, Canada could face a biodiversity crisis.

What can you do?
The good news is that insects like bees don’t require massive protected areas for nesting and foraging. This means actions you take can make a huge difference.

• Create your own pollinator-friendly garden using native plants.
• Eliminate pesticide use
• Encourage your municipal council to implement pollinator-friendly policies, such as maintaining habitat along roadways and parks, eliminating pesticide use on municipal property and planting vegetation that native bee populations support.
• Encourage the planting of native flowers in open spaces and outside public buildings.
• Encourage local clubs or school groups to build pollinator habitats such as butterfly gardens and bee boxes.
• Support agriculture enterprises with pollinator-friendly practices such as farms that avoid or minimize pesticide use.
• Encourage government agencies to take into account the full economic benefits of wild pollinators and their habitats when formulating policies for agriculture and other land uses.

Did you know?

• Even low levels of pesticides affect bee longevity, memory, navigation and foraging abilities?
• More than 800 native bees call Canada home.
• Bees that nest in the ground build tunnels that improve soil texture, increase water movement around roots, and mix nutrients into the soil.

 BEE Sure to thank Pollinators for: Tomatoes Peppers Strawberries Apples Peaches Melons Pumpkins Cucumbers Mustard Canola Alfalfa Chocolate