91亚色 bee scientists are available to explain the best ways to help protect bees
and other pollinators facing increased threats

TORONTO, May 15, 2025 鈥� As tariffs continue to threaten Canada鈥檚 food supply chain, it鈥檚 more important than ever to protect Ontario鈥檚 pollinators this World Bee Day, May 20. 91亚色 experts are available to discuss how people can help protect pollinator habitats.

The theme this year is Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all. According to the United Nations, pollinators contribute directly to food security and are needed to pollinate some 75 per cent of food crops worldwide.

In the Greater Toronto Area, there are more than 350 native bee species with about 1,000 across the country 鈥� many of which are wild bees, compared to managed honeybees - which depend on natural and diverse green areas, as well as floral gardens to sustain their populations.

鈥淲ild native bees and other pollinators are often overlooked as honeybees often steal the spotlight, but native bees are incredibly important and are facing increasing threats from changing land use, pesticides and disease,鈥� says 91亚色 Research Chair in Behavioural Genetics , director of 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation (BEEC).

鈥淭here are many ways people and communities can help support our wild bees by planting native plants and flowers which bloom at different times during the season and being careful not to destroy wild bee habitats during spring clean-up,鈥� says Rehan.

Every year, BEEc and the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) hosts a Garden Party for bees, where volunteers prune, weed, mulch and revitalize the University鈥檚 native plant garden, while being careful not to disrupt ground-nesting bee habits.

A way to celebrate and support bees and other pollinators, sponsored in part by World Wildlife Fund Canada, the will take place on Tuesday, May 20, from 2 to 5 p.m. Media are invited. 

Examples of bee species that visit the EUC Native Plant Garden include Toronto's official bee 鈥� the green metallic sweat bee Agapostemon virescens 鈥� as well as tiny, smooth, black solitary bees that can be mistaken for flies or ants, and fuzzy bumblebees, whose queens are easily seen this time of year. 

鈥淥ne of the main goals of the garden party is to get as many people involved and learning about native plantings, especially native plants to help our local native pollinators,鈥� says Katherine Chau, BEEc coordinator and 91亚色 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Rehan bee lab.

BEEc鈥檚 bee researchers can help better understand bees, the risks to their health, habitats, behaviour, genetics and diseases, and what people can do to help.    

Have some buzzworthy questions? Just ask the experts listed below. 

, BEEc as well as the , is an expert in wild bee genomics, behaviour and conservation and a professor in the Faculty of Science, can talk about: 

鈥� Loss of plant-pollinator networks and how some plants will now bloom too soon or too late for bees that rely on them 

鈥� Are the gut microbiomes of city bees missing key beneficial bacteria? 

鈥� Biodiversity conservation and why it鈥檚 important 

鈥� How maternal care of bee offspring has expanded the social life of bees 

鈥� Population and behavioural genomics 

鈥� Climate change, land use change and the effects on bees 

Gordon Fitch of the , and an assistant professor in the Faculty of Science, can discuss:

鈥� How environmental stressors, like urbanization, agriculture, and disease, shape interactions between bees and the plants they pollinate

• How disease affects wild bees; why pathogens are both an essential part of healthy ecosystems and a potential threat to wild bees.

• How bees cope with disease, and the 鈥渕edicine鈥� that plants can provide them

鈥� How urbanization and agricultural land management impact the ability of wild bees to move about their environment.

鈥� The role of parasites in shaping bee foraging preferences and the effects of the built environment on bee-parasite interactions

鈥� Nectar robbery and its effect on pollination 鈥� when some pollinators, including certain bumblebees, carpenter bees and fruit bats, access nectar through a bite hole in a flower, which does not facilitate pollination as the pollinator avoids the pollen

The post Bee good on Word Bee Day - plant bee-autiful pollinator flowers and gardens appeared first on News@91亚色.

Study of the Indigenous three sisters gardens and their most important wild bee pollinators by 91亚色 bee experts an important first step

TORONTO, May 22, 2024 鈥� The loss of even one wild bee species can disrupt the reproductive success of certain plants resulting in fewer vegetables, fruits and flowers, say 91亚色 researchers who studied how pollinators and plants rely on each other, specifically in Indigenous gardens in the Great Lakes Region.

Pollination deficits can threaten global food security. A decline in the bounty of plants can in turn lead to fewer resources for pollinators and put their survival at increased danger. Researchers at 91亚色 delved into its significance using a three sisters garden, along with additional culturally significant plants to see what was abuzz.

鈥淭his delicately balanced pollinator-plant network is at risk of future human-caused collapse, but it has not been well studied and there has been little understanding of how this co-reliance works and the threats against it,鈥� says 91亚色 PhD Candidate Shelby Gibson of the Faculty of Science in the of co-author 91亚色 Associate Professor of the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC).

Additional co-authors include , a 91亚色 PhD Faculty of Science graduate now of the Canadian Museum of Nature, and Associate Professor of EUC.

The three sisters garden uses an ancestral Indigenous growing method, a form of intercropping that involves the growth of multiple crops simultaneously, including culturally important medicinal plants. However, land use changes, the use of pesticides and other agricultural practices, the invasion of non-native species and climate change are increasingly impacting how pollinators and plants match up.

The study, , published today in the journal PeerJ, looked at how the pollinator community visiting the garden differed from the surrounding wild pollinator community.

鈥淜nowing what is involved with these pollinator-plant networks can help us minimize future disruptions that could result in the loss of both plants and wild bee species,鈥� says Colla. 鈥淚t can also provide us with baseline information about the role of wild bees and the stability of the network to weather environmental change.鈥�

This delicately balanced pollinator-plant network is at risk of future human-caused collapse, but it has not been well studied and there has been little understanding of how this co-reliance works and the threats against it.

Shelby Gibson

The three sisters garden has corn, common bean and squash, which rely on insect pollination. For squash, the pollination window is short 鈥� their flowers open at dawn and close by noon 鈥� and it is historically pollinated by the hoary squash bee.

Overall, some 37 species or 59 per cent of the about 63 bee species thought to occur in the wider community were identified in the garden. Bumblebees were the most frequent genus with the most frequent species being the common eastern bumble bee. Equally as common as the common eastern bumble bee, was the hoary squash bee. These bees interacted mostly with Patty Pan squash. The hoary squash bee is recognized as a key species for the three sisters garden and an important pollinator to protect. They have specialized hairs for collecting squash pollen and are extremely active during the squash pollination window.

Although the range of the hoary squash bee has grown, it doesn鈥檛 typically include wild squash and its range has been impacted by continued agricultural expansion. In their absence, honey bees and bumble bees are known to be able to pollinate squash, but it is the aptly named hoary squash bee that has co-evolved with the plant.

Recommendations for management of the hoary squash bee within the agroecosystem are to minimize pesticide exposure, provide nesting sites (they are ground nesters), maintain field proximity, monitor populations, parasites, and pathogens, and limit deep tillage of the earth. Many of the things already in practice at the three sister garden.

The researchers say further research is necessary to ascertain how to manage ongoing threats to the common eastern bumble bee and the hoary squash bee, both important pollinators in the three sisters garden system, but also the overall critical role of wild pollinators for culturally significant plants. This could include the role of policies and programs that support and promote conservation and pollinator-plant diversity.

The post Wild pollinators and plants evolved to rely on each other could face uncertain future appeared first on News@91亚色.

During Pollinator Week, 91亚色 bee experts recommend solutions and strategies to help save wild bees across the country

TORONTO, June, 22, 2023 鈥� Canada鈥檚 wild pollinators are in decline and without a national pollinator plan, many species could be heading for extinction, like the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee or the , say researchers at 91亚色.

Although the focus is usually on managed honey bees, unlike wild pollinators, they are not native to Canada, not adapted to this country鈥檚 weather or plants and not at-risk of extinction, says the researchers. Wild pollinators are essential to Canada鈥檚 economy, food security and ecosystems, but about 30 species, including eight bee species, are listed under Canada鈥檚 Species at Risk Act. In the United States alone, non-managed wild pollinators are estimated to provide more than US$3 billion worth in crop pollination.

Because of the urgency, and the multiple and widespread nature of the threats to wild pollinators, Associate Professor of 91亚色鈥檚 Native Pollinator Research Lab in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change and Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Nalepa, tapped into the extensive knowledge of pollinator and conservation experts to develop solutions for wild pollinator conservation in Canada, along with a national pollinator framework with a clear set of actions.

鈥淪wift action is needed to protect wild pollinators, which will also benefit the agricultural sector, the environment and build climate change resiliency,鈥� says Colla.

The study, , levers, which involved a series of expert surveys, was published today in the journal FACETS and is accompanied by their pollinator framework 鈥� .

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen many other countries develop and implement pollinator protection policies, including our neighbours to the south, the US, which have incorporated pollinator protection into their farm bill and that has a lot of resources to go into creating habitat and other kinds of protections for at-risk bees,鈥� says Colla. Belgium, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Mexico, Ireland, Colombia, and Nigeria, and at least 24 other countries, have all adopted national strategies, plans or initiatives.

The researchers鈥� pollinator framework is a tool to create Canada-wide pollinator policy based on the best available science and expertise, while also highlighting important knowledge gaps, areas for future research. It is based on their study, which generated 83 expert recommended solutions to some of the main threats 鈥� habitat loss, pesticides, parasites, non-native species and disease. It also outlines which recommendations are most feasible and which could be implemented immediately.

鈥淭he federal government is needed to help standardize and coordinate some national efforts, to set targets and to monitor progress towards those targets and also to provide financial resources and other support to provinces,鈥� says Nalepa.

The goal is to preserve the diversity of Canada鈥檚 about 850 wild bee species and other pollinators, to mitigate issues arising from climate change, such as changing precipitation patterns, drought and shifts to their normal ranges, as well as to ensure resources are available for them to thrive, and crops and wildflowers are pollinated.

The use of pesticides is a big threat and there is a need for better risk assessments, a reduction on their reliance for agriculture, but the study鈥檚 experts also point to a lack of knowledge about how combinations of pesticides affect wild pollinators.

鈥淚n addition, experts wanted to see more financial supports and guidance for agricultural communities as they strive to reduce their pesticide use and also to help growers increase their market access to seeds that haven鈥檛 been treated with pesticides,鈥� says Nalepa.

To improve habitat, the framework suggests the creation of corridors to connect habitats and ensure pollinators can move easily between them to forage, overwinter and breed. This could be done by having native plants along roads, train tracks and hydro lines. Habitat could also be created or improved at large industrial sites 鈥� landfills, aggregate operations and brownfield areas.

The experts also suggest better tracking, management and disease screening for managed pollinators to help prevent the spread of disease to wild bees or vice versa.

鈥淎lthough there are some things in the framework that will benefit managed pollinators, really, it鈥檚 focussed on conserving wild pollinator species,鈥� says Colla. 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e seen in the scientific literature is that in many cases even when you have honey bees in the system, native bees are doing a lot of the work, or they are more effective and more efficient at pollination.鈥�

In addition, there are some crops that require , where bumble bees create vibrations to dislodge trapped pollen. 鈥淥ur wild bees and our native plant species have over thousands and thousands of years, and we don鈥檛 quite know what will happen to these plants when or if bee species or a handful of them go extinct,鈥� she says.

The take home message, says Nalepa, is that 鈥渢he , and even though experts stress the need for sustained efforts and systemic changes, there are also actions that we can take that are immediately implementable with just minor tweaks to the programing and legislation that we already have.鈥�

Even without a coordinated, national plan, there are things people can do now, such as minimizing garden clean-up because pollinators often live under leaves, thatched grass and in hollow plant stems, and participating in community science programs like .

Another by Colla and a different team looked at how managed honey bee hives in Toronto negatively impacted some wild bee species.

The post National pollinator strategy needed to save Canada's wild bees, say 91亚色 researchers appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, May 16, 2023 鈥� Wild bees living in cities like Toronto are facing increased environmental stressors compared to those in rural and even suburban areas, such as more pathogens and parasites, found researchers at 91亚色.

They also found changes in the microbiomes of wild bees living in densely urban areas and fragmented habitats, which makes it more difficult for the bees to access food sources, ideal nesting areas and mates.

These environmental stressors will likely increase in the future as cities expand and landscapes are reshaped, posing one of the largest threats to the natural ecosystems of wild bees and their biodiversity. Two-thirds of the world鈥檚 population are expected to live in cities by 2050.

鈥淗aving less connected habitats in dense urban areas not only leads to more inbreeding, so less genetic diversity, but it also creates higher pathogen diversity leaving city bees exposed to more pathogens,鈥� says Corresponding author and Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science, 91亚色.

The researchers used whole genome sequencing of 180 common carpenter bees 鈥� Ceratina calcarata 鈥� to look at their population genetics, metagenome and microbiome, as well the impact of environmental stressors across the Greater Toronto Area. These small carpenter bees are wild and native bees, not managed and non-native bees, such as a honeybees.

They also found significant environmental variation in bee microbiomes and nutritional resources even in the absence of genetic differentiation.

鈥淧arasite and pathogen infections in bees are a major driver in global bee population declines and this is further exacerbated by urbanization and a loss of habitat and degraded habitat. There are things, though, that cities could do to help wild bees,鈥� says lead author 91亚色 PhD student Katherine D. Chau.

鈥淲e found the best way to connect bee habitats and create conditions for more genetic diversity is through green spaces, shrubs and scrub. Conservation efforts focussed on retaining and creating these habitat connectors could go a long way toward helping wild bee health.鈥�

Although bees are the most prominent pollinators, cities could impact all insect pollinators, which pollinate more than 87 per cent of flowering plants and 75 per cent of food crops globally. Cities, unlike rural areas, also create an urban heat island effect 鈥� higher temperatures in the city than those in the surrounding areas 鈥� and this affects flowering times and growing season length. This could lead to flowers, for example, blooming before or after bees are out and foraging.

The higher number of pathogen and parasite infections in urban areas can also be attributed to disease spill over. Because the bees are concentrated in certain areas, infected bees are more likely to contaminate the flowers they visit, which then spreads the infection to the next bee that visits that flower, even across bee species, say the researchers.

鈥淥ur research is the first known whole genome sequencing, population genomic and metagenomic study of a wild, solitary bee in an urban context, which looks at the complex relationship between bees, metagenomic interactions and dense urban landscapes,鈥� says Rehan. 鈥淭his approach provides a tool to assess not only the overall health of wild bees in urban settings but could also be applied across a broad range of wildlife and landscapes.鈥�

Now that several known bee and plant pathogens have been identified in dense urban areas, the researchers say it paves the way for early detection and monitoring of threats to wildlife in cities.

鈥淔uture studies should explore the link between reduced genetic diversity and the fitness of wild bees in cities,鈥� says Chau.

The paper, , was published in the journal Global Change Biology.

The post Urbanization leads to more pathogens and inbreeding of wild bees appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, June 30, 2020 鈥� Researchers from disciplines across 91亚色, including biologists, social scientists and mathematicians, will develop a hive of research when 91亚色鈥檚 new (BEEc) becomes an Organized Research Unit (ORU) starting July 1.

The Senate of 91亚色 approved the move earlier this year to make BEEc the University鈥檚 26th ORU, enabling it to dive deeper into the crisis affecting the health and decline of bees globally.

鈥�91亚色鈥檚 ORUs have a strong history of highly innovative and collaborative research,鈥� said Vice-President Research & Innovation Amir Asif. 鈥淪teeped in 91亚色鈥檚 tradition of collegial interdisciplinarity, ORUs serve as synergistic hubs for participatory research programs that bring together expertise from across disciplines.鈥�

The new ORU will provide a place where experts can collaborate on innovative, cutting-edge research on bees to help further knowledge, train future leaders in the field, educate the public and affect policy that will make a difference for pollinators locally, as well as globally.

鈥淲e are thrilled that our proposal was approved by Senate. The bee crisis is multidimensional and there is no simple solution. BEEc will allow us to bring talented biologists and mathematicians, but also engineers, social scientists and economists to help us answer the big questions in the field,鈥� says Amro Zayed, research chair in Genomics and BEEc director.

BEEc researchers will study the health, behaviour, biodiversity, genomics and conservation of bees, with the goal of enhancing their long-term sustainability, and that of the important crops and plants that rely on bees for pollination.

Meet some of the core researchers:

Associate of the Faculty of Science uses genomics to understand why native bees and honey bees are declining, and develops tools to circumvent these declines.

Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Environmental Studies researches native bees to find out why they鈥檙e in decline and develops conservation efforts with a special focus on at-risk bumblebees.

Professor , a Distinguished Research Professor, studies native bees and is constantly contributing new species records to the global list of over 20,300 species.聽He has built and continues to maintain the largest Canadian collection of bees, currently estimated at over 500,000 specimens from all over the globe.

Professor of the Faculty of Science is an expert on social insect genomics and pollinator health combining molecular evolution, behavioural ecology, population genetics, and phylogenetics to understand the sociobiology, biogeography, nutritional requirements, and sustainability of bees.

Professor of the Faculty of Science and director of 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Disease Modelling is applying her modelling skills to help understand how pathogens and pests affect colony health.

-30-

91亚色 champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91亚色 is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni. 91亚色 U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca

The post 91亚色 creates new hive of interdisciplinary bee research appeared first on News@91亚色.