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.

Weekly roundup highlighting 91亚色 faculty offering their academic expertise in the news

Since the contested election on July 28, Venezuelans have taken to the streets demanding that President Nicol谩s Maduro acknowledge he lost to an opposition that is claiming a landslide victory. Following a protest in Montreal last weekend, , saying the country could face more unrest and violence in the near future if Maduro remains in power. 鈥淢aduro doesn鈥檛 represent change, he represents continuity,鈥� says Bohn, noting that the results he announced are not 鈥渆vidence-based.鈥� In another article examining the international reaction to the election, with China and Russia endorsing the incumbent Maduro while the U.S. supports the opposition. 鈥淐hina prefers a stable Venezuela, and what they identify as [a] credible source of stability at the moment is Nicolas Maduro,鈥� explains Rosales to Voice of America.

[Pierre Poilievre] can't not talk to lobbyists, he can't not talk to industry groups. He has to 鈥� that's his job as a potential prime minister, to understand how to make the economy go in the right direction, how to create jobs, how to get industry to want to come to Canada.

Professor Ian Stedman

Professor Ian Stedman comments on The Narwhal鈥檚 findings that federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre and his staff were communicating with lobbyists, including those in oil and gas, while Poilievre was publicly denouncing interest groups. Stedman says Poilievre鈥檚 anti-lobby remarks go against what the job requires. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 his job as a potential prime minister, to understand how to make the economy go in the right direction, how to create jobs, how to get industry to want to come to Canada.鈥�

in National Parks Traveler. Reasons for the decline range from increasing land use, agricultural controls, a changing climate, disease, and the influx of non-native species. In the case of the rusty patched bumble bee, a focus of Colla鈥檚 research, she believes that diseases introduced by honeybees are to blame, with hives trucked back and forth across the country: 鈥淗oneybees are brought to California to pollinate almonds, then [head] northeast for apples. Bees are being moved all over, they鈥檙e stressed out, and it鈥檚 not natural.鈥� 

Professor Eric B. Kennedy shares his perspective on with CityNews, emphasizing its crucial role in understanding virus prevalence.

鈥淒isaster movies remain an important popular culture phenomenon,鈥� writes Professor Jack Rozdilsky about the movie Twisters. , he explores what this genre of film can teach audiences, and what it often gets wrong: 鈥淒isaster studies scholars have considered disaster movies from many perspectives including their value for teaching people about disaster management and how these films shape the meaning and experience of disasters.鈥�

Professor Gail Fraser weighs in on the noise cannons and netting successfully keeping seagulls from nesting on a TTC facility that houses streetcars. Due to health and safety concerns caused by a large amount of bird droppings, the Toronto Transit Commission installed the deterrence devices in March at Leslie Barns, near Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard E. She says it鈥檚 unlikely the birds will return to nest on the roof next spring because they鈥檒l remember the failed previous attempts with the deterrence measures in place.

Elliott Rae, who coaches fencers at 91亚色, comments on in Toronto Star. It will go into the record books as Canada鈥檚 first Olympic medal in fencing, bringing national attention to the sport.

Do you have a new research study or an academic achievement to share? Contact media@yorku.ca with details. For daily 91亚色 in the News highlights, follow on X.

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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.

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TORONTO, May 12, 2023 鈥� With pollinators, like bees, pollinating 87 of 115 leading food crops around the globe, protecting them from further decline is important for humans and ecosystems alike. On World Bee Day, May 20, people鈥檚 bee-haviour can go a long way towards providing food and creating and preserving bee habitats. 

91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BEEc) and its bee researchers can help better understand bees, the risks to their health and what people can do to help.  

"Bees are one of the most important groups of pollinators in the world, yet most people are unaware that we have at least 350 species in the GTA alone,鈥� says BEEc Co-ordinator Victoria MacPhail, who received her PhD at 91亚色 and can talk about bees and how to grow a pollinator garden. 

Although most people think of honeybees when they think of bees, there are more than 850 wild bees in Canada and 20,000 worldwide who do much of the pollinating. 

To help celebrate bees, BEEc and the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change (EUC) are hosting a , sponsored in part by World Wildlife Fund Canada, to help revitalize 91亚色鈥檚 Native Plant Garden on Tuesday, May 16, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Media are invited to the event. 

鈥淭he EUC Native Plant Garden is an oasis for bees on our campus, providing food, shelter, and nesting sites throughout the year,鈥� says MacPhail. 鈥淎t BEEc, we have a wealth of free resources and are happy to chat with people about what they can do to help pollinators 鈥� from planting native flowers to advocating for increased protections.鈥� 

The community can learn more about the highly diverse bee species indigenous to Toronto and Southern Ontario at large, as well as the local flora that they depend on for sustenance. As a part of this hands-on learning experience, guests will be able to contribute to the University鈥檚 floral biodiversity by helping to remove invasive species that are less conducive to the health of local pollinators and planting new native species in the EUC native garden. 

Examples of bee species that visit the garden range from tiny, smooth, black solitary bees that are only a few millimeters long and can be mistaken for flies or ants, to large, fuzzy bumblebees that can be up to a couple centimeters in size, and whose queens are easily seen this time of year. 

鈥淭oronto's official bee, the green metallic sweat bee, Agapostemon virescens, has already been seen nesting in the garden, and we are confident that the upcoming garden party will help to improve the habitat for it and many other wildlife species,鈥� says MacPhail. 

In other bee news, a to help endow a fund for EUC graduate students studying bees will take place May 17 in Markham, followed by a on May 18 with a particular focus on bee diversity and why, and how, 91亚色 has one of the world's best collections of bee specimens on the planet. 

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

, an expert in wild bee genomics, behaviour and conservation and an associate 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 

Amro Zayed, an associate professor and expert in honeybee biology and genomics in the Faculty of Science, can talk about the following: 

鈥� How bee genes can determine how bees behave, including how good they are at keeping their hive clean and how well they can survive cold winters 

鈥� Did western honeybees originate in Asia and why is that important to know? 

鈥� How the urban environment can help or hinder bees 鈥� think concrete versus green spaces, trees and gardens 

鈥� What鈥檚 stressing bumblebees? How scientists are using a conservation genomic approach and next generation sequencing to look inside for pathogens and pesticides 

鈥� Why are African hybrid honeybees (known as killer honeybees) highly defensive and aggressive? 

鈥� Bee health diagnostic tools, what they do and what鈥檚 being developed 

 
Sheila Colla (via Zoom) of the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, co-author of the recent book, and , can discuss the following: 

鈥� What to plant on balconies, in yards and community gardens across Ontario (See ) 

鈥� How bee diversity is important for climate resiliency 

鈥� Connection between native plants and native pollinators 

鈥� Importance of citizen science 鈥� how people can help scientists keep track of bees and their habitats 

鈥� What happened to the Rusty-patched bumblebee and why it鈥檚 a tale of what could happen to other bees 

鈥� Other bees on the endangered list 

鈥� Beyond honeybees and bumble bees. What are sweat bees, carpenter bees and mining bees, and what role do they play? 

The post Bee-worthy tips and a garden party for World Bee Day appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, July 14, 2020 鈥� Climate change and an increase in disturbed bee habitats from expanding agriculture and development in northeastern North America over the last 30 years are likely responsible for a 94 per cent loss of plant-pollinator networks, 91亚色 researchers found.

The researchers, corresponding author Professor of the Faculty of Science and grad student Minna Mathiasson of the University of New Hampshire, looked at plant-pollinator networks from 125 years ago through present day. The networks are comprised of wild bees and the native plants they historically rely on, although most of those have now been disrupted.

About 30 per cent of plant-pollinator networks were completely lost, which translates to a disappearance of either the bees, the plants or both. In another 64 per cent of the network loss, the wild bees, such as sweat or miner bees, or native plants, such as sumac and willow, are still present in the eco-system, but the bees no longer visit those plants. The association is gone.

The remaining six per cent of the plant-pollinator networks are stable or even thriving with pollinators such as small carpenter bees, which like broken stems for nest making.

鈥淭here are several reasons for the losses in the networks. Climate change is likely the biggest driver. We know that over the last 100 years or so annual temperatures have changed by two and a half degrees. This is enough to alter the time when certain native plants bloom,鈥� says Rehan.

鈥淔or a bee that鈥檚 out for months on end or is a generalist pollinator, this isn鈥檛 such a critical mismatch, but for a bee that鈥檚 only out for two weeks of the year and only has a few floral hosts, this could be devastating.鈥�

Andrena_vacinia, a miner bee, is one of the declining native bee species

An increase in non-native species of bees and invasive species of plants, which have displaced some of the native species, is another reason for the decline in networks.

鈥淲e are getting a lot of invasive species and new records of invasive species every year. This is usually accidentally through trade and through ornamental plants,鈥� says Rehan.

A lot of these bees live in stems, so it鈥檚 easy to import plants with non-native bee species without knowing it. 鈥淲e can actually show routes and means of invasion biology,鈥� she says.

These bees are following shipping routes from one continent to the other around the world, including North America through ornamental plants for our gardens.

The researchers say an increase in habitat restoration and native flowering plants in agricultural landscapes are critical for improving wild bee biodiversity, but also food security for humans.

Bees and other pollinators are worth hundreds of billions of dollars globally by pollinating the crops we eat, and wild bees are at the top of the list believed to pollinate more than 87 per cent or 308,006 flowering plant species. Many of these are economically important commercial crops, such as apples and blueberries.

鈥淭here is an urgent need to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental circumstances affecting these wild pollinator populations and their specialised, evolutionary relationships with plant communities,鈥� says Rehan. 鈥淧lant pollinator webs are dependent on changes in the landscape, so knowing how these networks are shaped is important for all regional habitats.鈥�

Previous recent research by Rehan and team looked at 119 wild bee species over 125 years and found 14 declining and eight increasing species. All of the wild bee species in decline are native and over half experienced significant range (latitude and elevation) shifts.

The research, 鈥�,鈥� was published in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity.

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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 About 94 per cent of wild bee and native plant species networks lost, 91亚色 study finds appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, May 19, 2020 鈥� As people flock to garden stores to start freshening up their winter tired yards and gardens, it鈥檚 a good time to think of bee-friendly plants, especially as May 20 is World Bee Day, says Assistant Professor , an expert in native bees and conservation.

Flowers, such as black-eyed Susans, serviceberry, purple coneflowers, as well as milkweeds and various kinds of legumes are all good choices for attracting pollinators. But the ground is also important to many native bees who like to nest and overwinter in the soil or old plant stalks.

鈥淧roviding native flowering plants in your garden can help native wild pollinators, but also helps the sustainability of our natural ecosystems and urban food security,鈥� says Colla, who leads the Conservation Science Lab in the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES). 鈥淲e rely on pollinators to pollinate our crops as well as our vegetable, flower and community gardens, but many of our bumble bees are in decline.鈥�

With the current pandemic, many city dwellers may be considering planting vegetables for the first time. Whether it is in their yard, a community garden or in pots on their balconies, these gardens can help support pollinators by providing biodiversity, as well as food.

And as the coronavirus continues to limit social interactions, Colla suggests people consider planting resilience gardens to increase mental wellness, while providing nutrition and plants for pollinators.

To learn more about bees and other pollinators, the Faculty of Science and FES are hosting a free Q&A, on World Bee Day, from noon to 1:30 pm. It will feature some of 91亚色鈥檚 top bee experts, Professors , , and Colla from the Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation group, and is moderated by 91亚色 alumna World Wildlife Fund-Canada President Megan Leslie.

Colla can discuss the following:

• What are some of the best plants to attract pollinators?
• How is the ground just as important to native bees?
• How pollinators contribute to food security and biodiversity
• Current threats to bees, including Asian giant hornets, known as the 鈥渕urder hornet鈥�
• How pollinators contribute to sustainable development

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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 Making gardens buzz with bee-friendly plants appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, May 12, 2020 鈥� How valuable is community science to research? A survey of participants at , a community and research collaboration to track and conserve bumble bees in North America, found users are well educated and strongly motivated to save bees, say 91亚色 researchers.

Bumble Bee Watch is a community science program where participants submit photos of bumble bees from across Canada and the United States for expert verification. The data can be used to help better understand bumble bee biology and aid in their conservation. But who is doing the submitting and is it enough? How can community science programs motivate their participants?

Eighty-eight per cent of participants said they were involved in the program because they wanted to contribute to scientific data collection, while 80 per cent said it was because they worried about bees and had a desire to help save them. Sixty-three per cent said they chose to participate to learn more about species on their property. Fifty-nine per cent said they participated because of a personal interest.

鈥淚t鈥檚 necessary for community science programs to understand participant demographics, what motivates them, and the outcomes of their participation,鈥� says PhD student Victoria MacPhail of the Faculty of Environmental Studies, whose supervisor is Assistant Professor Sheila Colla.

鈥淭hat can tell us what areas are working well or could be improved. It is also important to understand who verifies the submissions and who uses the data.鈥�

The researchers found that participants want to learn more about bumble bees and contribute to the scientific understanding of them. 鈥淲e want volunteers to stay active and continue to contribute high quality data, as well as increase their interest in conservation actions,鈥� says MacPhail. 鈥淭hat way we can also create a program that meet their needs.鈥�

Suggested areas for improvement included better app and website functionality, faster and more detailed feedback, localized resources, and more communication, but overall, participants think the program is valuable and they have learned about bumble bees.

A separate survey of 15 experts suggested how to improve the verification process and the quality of the submitted data. The experts suggested the research questions that are asked or answered from the data could help fill knowledge gaps around species diversity, ranges, habitat, phenology and floral associations. That would help support species status assessments, effect policy and legislation, and encourage habitat restoration and management efforts, as well as guiding further research.

The paper, , is published today in PeerJ.

Bumble Bee Watch partners include 91亚色鈥檚 , , , , , and .

PHOTOS:

Volunteers taking photos of bees -

Bees on flowers -

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