Julie Druker | Jul 30, 2015


At the Sharbot Lake Property Association’s annual general meeting, which took place on July 18 at St. James Church hall in Sharbot Lake, pollination expert Susan Chan spoke about the importance of bees as pollinators. Chan is also project manager with Farms at Work.

Her talk was titled “Introduction to Pollinators for Cottagers” and offered up a plethora of information about bees as well as ways to encourage their presence and ongoing health.

When we think of bees we think mostly of honey bees, which are the only non-native bees in Ontario, but Chan explained that there are over 400 other native species of bees. Bees are a vital part of what makes our plants, flowers and veggies grow. Wind and insects are two key pollinators and native bees are the predominant insect pollinators that carry pollen from the male part of a plant (anther) to the female part (stigma), resulting in pollination. Pollination is needed to set seed in plants and is what allows fruits and seeds to grow, which is the main source of food for humans and for wildlife.

Bees also pollinate the plants whose seeds are used to produce most of our edible oil products. Meat and dairy products are heavily dependent on the alfalfa plant, pollinated by native bees. “If you like your steaks on the barbeque, you are dependent not on honey bees but on native bees who pollinate alfalfa plants which are used to feed meat and dairy cattle.”

She spoke about common myths about bees and the surprising fact that it is the non-native honey bee that usually stings, whereas most of the native species can sting but generally do not. They live in much smaller colonies; most live solitary lives and possess very low defense mechanisms, which makes them very unlikely to sting aggressively. Swarms are only associated with honey bees; other solitary bees do not live in colonies and therefore do not swarm. In fact, 70% of the bees in Ontario live in solitary nests in the ground and the other 30% live solitary lives in hollow stems.

Chan explained how to encourage native bee pollinators by constructing bee-friendly dwellings (pictured here) using the stems of an invasive plant called Phragmites Australianus. “You can make use of these plant's stems as long as you do not transport the seeds from one place to another.” These condo-like dwellings will encourage solitary native bee guests. Chan spoke of various species of bees including leaf cutter bees, wool carder bees and bumble bees, the latter of which she called “the work horses” of the native pollinators since they are around from April to October. This makes them particularly susceptible to lack of food. Chan said that all bee populations in North America are currently declining. The two main reasons she gave are lack of habitat and toxins in the environment.

She said that neonicotinoids are a problem since the chemical is transferred to all parts of the plant it is applied to, can take three years to break down, and is highly water soluble. Bees are much more susceptible to insecticides, more so than the insects they were designed for, because bees do not have a strong resistance system and they can come into contact with the insecticides when collecting nectar from affected plants and side crops nearby.

Chan also said that butterflies and birds are being affected by neonicotinoids.

On a more positive note, Chan suggested ways that property owners can help the plight of all species of native bees by planting flowering native plants, which provide habitat and food. She advised them to reconsider when weeding and to understand that all weeds are not bad. “If you can tolerate dandelions simply for the sake of the bees, do it since they (dandelions) are a great source of food come early spring.” She advised landowners to encourage wild blueberries and raspberries for similar reasons and to leave natural spaces to grow and thrive because if left alone they will become healthy pollinator habitats.

If you know of pickerel weed growing, encourage it, because there exists one pickerel weed bee, a specialist bee that eats only the nectar and pollen from that plant.

For those who love plants and food, bees are key and Chan's talk went a long way in encouraging homeowners to create environments that will encourage their health and abundance.

photo 22552-

Support local
independant journalism by becoming a patron of the Frontenac News.