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The Pollinators Festival, part of , will take place from 8am to 3pm at the Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., Toronto. Pollinator Week is an international celebration of the ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.

There will be a presentation by Scott MacIvor of on 鈥淲ild Bees Using Toronto Green Spaces鈥�, a tour by Sheila Colla, a 91亚色 PhD biology candidate, on 鈥淢eet the Bumble Bees: Why We Need Them and What They Do鈥�, as well as a workshop on why bees are important to food production by . There will also be local and international honey for sale at the farmer鈥檚 market.

It is expected to be a day filled with educational and celebratory events about pollinators, featuring garden tours, honey tasting, hands-on workshops, arts and crafts, speakers, panel discussions and more. 91亚色 Faculty of Environmental Studies student Madeleine Lavin was this year鈥檚 assistant organizer for the festival.

For more information, visit the website.

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Recent research by biologist Lincoln Best, [a graduate student] at 91亚色 [Faculty of Science & Engineering] has uncovered that this flower has a particularly intricate relationship with its friends in the bee world. Best鈥檚 research, which included fieldwork in , has uncovered evidence that the flower may be highly dependent on just one species of wild bee for pollination. There are over 400 species of wild bees in B.C., but in repeated fieldwork around the flowers, Best caught only the one species of bee interacting with the flower.

With wild bees in decline in B.C. and elsewhere in North America, the concern is this intricate relationship could break down; the tragic end of the cycle could mean the last lilies are left to bloom alone in the forest, with no helpers to spread their pollen an continue their cycle of life.

Best is a student in Biology Professor 's laboratory at 91亚色.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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You can watch the segment on the .

Packer is a bee expert who has studied colony death and the decline of wild bee populations over the last decade and is the author of .

For suggestions about what you can do to help global bee populations in your own backyard, watch .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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Here's Professor Laurence Packer from 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Biology in the on what you can do to help the world鈥檚 bees in your backyard:

Packer travels the world tracking many of the 19,500 described species of wild bees. While his perspective is international, Packer鈥檚 backyard is a great example of a bee-friendly space and is featured in the video. He is also the author of . All proceeds form his book will be directed toward bee conservation research.

In 2010, Packer was featured on CBC鈥檚 The Nature of Things, hosted by David Suzuki. The episode, 鈥溾��, highlights dramatic declines in North America鈥檚 wild bee and honey bee populations, and explores what the disappearance and decline of these insects tells us about larger ecological problems. The episode is also available for download on. Packer鈥檚 segment runs from the 3:30 mark through to 6:30.

PhD student Jason Gibbs, who works in Packer鈥檚 laboratory and has collaborated with him on research publications, also recently made national news headlines by documenting 19 new bee species, one of which he discovered during his commute from downtown Toronto to 91亚色.

To read more about their work, visit Packer鈥檚 Website or search for past stories in the Research News archive using the and tags.

Packer's research is funded by the (NSERC) and the (CFI).

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

Video production by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, Elizabeth Teodorini, alumni communications manager, and Robert Denault and Perry Walker in the Learning Technology Services unit.

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"There are hundreds of bee species in B.C., but this one appears to live in only one spot in the world and that's at Ripley Lake west of Oliver," said Best, who named the bee to honour the grandfather of his research partner, Graeme Stevens.

. . .

Best, a student of Professor of 91亚色鈥檚 , said the greatest concern of researchers today is the steady loss of bees.

鈥淎 lot have been dying due to pesticides and disease. The western bumblebee 鈥� the bigger yellow, black and white fuzzy bee found in Prince George gardens 鈥� is greatly endangered and disappearing quickly. They are already gone from the western United States,鈥� said Best. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not exactly sure why, but we suspect they are dying off due to disease introduced through other bumblebees used for greenhouse pollination.鈥�

Packer is the author of .

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You can listen to the interview on . The clip runs approximately 10 minutes.

Here's what Quirks & Quarks had to say about it:

That constant buzzing noise coming from South Africa these days makes Dr. Laurence Packer think of his true passion. He's a Canadian melittologist, which means that when he hears buzzing, he thinks of "the beautiful insect" rather than "the beautiful game." Dr. Packer studies bees, and in his latest book, he dispels a lot of myths - for instance, not all bees sting, not all bees make honey, and not all bees live in social colonies - and he warns that unless we do more to save the bees, we risk losing many of our food crops.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Packer will present findings outlined in his which grew out of the Canadian pollination research initiative spearheaded by the biology professor.

Packer has charted the movement of more than 800 species of bees in North America and identified an alarming decline in their population, causing enormous deficits in pollen transfer and affecting our food supply and ecosphere.

The lecture, presented by A Different Drummer Books, begins at 7pm at Burlington Central Library, 2331 New St. Tickets cost $10 and may be purchased at the library or at A Different Drummer Books, 513 Locust St.

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The events give people the opportunity to learn about the hundreds of bee species, how they live, eat and pollinate, and why they're important to humans. In a collaborating effort with fellow students, professors, artists and members of the public, Malach has brought International Pollinator Week to聽Toronto from the United States, where it first started four years ago.

鈥淭his is truly a collaborative event that is reaching out from the ivory tower and into the community,鈥� says Malach.

Events range from a photo exhibit and a Pollinators Cabaret at the Gladstone Hotel to a Pollinators Festival at Evergreen Brick Works.

Birds, bees, bats and butterflies are essential in the bid to produce fruit, vegetables, seeds and flowers. "More than 90 crops consumed by humans are pollinated by insects," says Malach.聽"Globally, pollinators are in decline which is a major threat to food security."

People can help by providing the right kind of habitats for pollinators in the city, such聽as planting daisies, lavender, mint, asters and sunflowers. "Researchers have found that cities can act as havens for declining pollinator populations if appropriate garden techniques are practised," says Malach.聽It is estimated that for every three bites of either food or drink a human takes, one of them can be attributed to the work of a pollinator, usually an insect. The making of chocolate depends on pollinators, as do dairy cows, who eat pollinated alfalfa as their major food source. Bee habitats聽are just one of the topics being presented during International Pollinator Week.

"I am particularly interested in helping to raise awareness around this and to hopefully help inspire urban citizens to be pollinator stewards in their yards and gardens and play a part in enhancing biodiversity and investing in food security in a tangible way," says Malach.

So what鈥檚 the buzz? A couple of bee related events are taking place before Pollinator Week. On Saturday, June 5, from 3:30 to 4:15pm, listen to a talk by 91亚色 Professor Laurence Packer (right), Sarah Peebles and Rob King (MA 鈥�08) regarding the distinct features and challenges of putting on an earlier art installation dealing with the biodiversity of bees. The talk is part of the at the Innis聽Town Hall,聽2 Sussex Ave., University聽of聽Toronto in Toronto. On Sunday, June 6, a hands-on workshop to create a habitat garden that provides appropriate nesting and food for pollinators will take place聽from 10am to noon at the on Lebovic Campus Drive, west of Ilan Ramon Boulevard in Toronto.

Then from Monday, June 21 to Sunday, June 27, Urban Buzz: A Tale of Three Cities, a multimedia exhibit exploring the lives of bees in Toronto, New 91亚色 City and the San Francisco Bay area, will take place from noon to 5pm in the聽Art Bar at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., Toronto. Photographs by Malach, wire bee sculptures by Charmaine Lurch as well as work by Sarah Peebles and Michael Abraham will be on display. On Thursday, June 24, from 6 to 8:30pm, the Pollinators Cabaret will offer an evening of storytelling, poetry, dance, song and visual art in celebration of pollinators聽in the Gladstone Hotel鈥檚 Melody Bar, followed by events from 8:45 to 11pm in the Art Bar.

翱苍听Sunday, June 27, from 10am to 5:30pm, International Pollinators Week will draw to a close with the Pollinators Festival, a full-day celebration of pollinators with workshops from a diverse group of educators and a marketplace with local honey, bee houses made by local artists and scientists, books and other goods. The event will take place at , 550 Bayview Ave. in Toronto.

The following is a list of workshops to take place at the Pollinators Festival:

Explore the Lives of Bumblebees
10 to 11:15am
Presenter: Sheila Colla, a PhD biology candidate at 91亚色
Bumblebees are important native pollinators of fruits, vegetables and flowering plants in temperate regions.聽Colla will discuss the importance of bumblebees and how people can help preserve declining populations.

Pollinator Gardening at Evergreen Brick Works
11:30am to 12:45pm
Join Evergreen and Pollination Week partners as they get their hands dirty at a planting workshop. Learn pollinator-attracting gardening techniques that can be applied in the backyard, balcony or container garden.

Honeybee Hive Life
1 to 2:15pm
Presenter: Toronto Beekeepers Co-operative
Join the Toronto Beekeepers Co-op to take a close-up look at life in the honeybee hive.

Keeping the Bees
2 to 2:30pm
Presenter: 91亚色 biology and environmental studies Professor Laurence Packer
Learn about the current declining status of bees and what you can do to help save them. Packer will discuss topics from his (HarperCollins, 2010).
Informational tables will be set up by local organizations, artists and architects, and books and local honey will be on sale.

A Pollinator Monitoring Workshop
2:30 to 4:15pm
Presenters: Maria Kasstan聽& Dave and Norma Barr
Learn about pollinator decline and its potential threat to food security. Learn to recognize and support local pollinators and take part in a hands-on, citizen science pollinator-monitoring project.

The Movement of Bees
4:30 to 5:30pm
Presenters: Naomi Tessler聽& 91亚色 PhD student Zita Nyarady
A movement and sound based workshop that brings community together through enacting the movement and sounds of the bee community.

For more information, contact Sabrina Malach at sabrinamalach@gmail.com.

The entry fee for the Pollinator Festival at Evergreen Brick Works is a $5 donation or pay what you can.聽All ages are welcome, but space is limited. To RSVP for by-donation workshops or register for paid workshops, e-mail ebw@evergreen.ca.

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Breakfast may be toast if we don鈥檛 take action to save the bees, according to 91亚色聽biology Professor and bee expert Laurence Packer.

鈥淐onsider breakfast. Eggs, maybe a slice of watermelon, toast with butter and jam, and a cup of coffee with a dash of milk鈥�.The only item in the list that bees do not play a direct role in producing is your toast, since wheat is pollinated by wind,鈥� Packer writes in his new book, .

Whether pollinating seeds eaten by chickens that lay eggs, or pollinating alfalfa for cows that produce milk, bees are vital to our food supply, Packer says. Many fruits and vegetables would all but disappear in a world with few bees and coffee would be very expensive. Although we could get sufficient calories from crops that do not rely on bees, we would be much less healthy, he says.

Keeping the Bees, published by HarperCollins,chronicles Packer鈥檚 travels to every continent except Antarctica 鈭� where there are no bees 鈭� tracking many of the 19,500 described species of wild bees. These beautiful insects are heroines of pollination, Packer says, and cannot be replaced by honey bees, which do not pollinate some plants well and are threatened by Colony Collapse Disorder. Wild bees are also particularly sensitive indicators of the state of the environment, he says.

A wild bee entomologist (melittologist) who has spent decades watching bees build nests, forage for food, choose mates and attack one another, Packer debunks some common myths in Keeping the Bees. He points out, for example, that not all bees are busy; their aptitude for hard work ranges widely, from the Arctic bumble bee that works constantly until it dies of exhaustion, to the cuckoo bee, that collects no food and makes no nests.

Right: Laurence Packer

In a chapter titled 鈥淪exually Transmitted Child-eating Female Impersonators on a California Sand Dune鈥�, Packer describes the natural enemies of wild bees, including the Francisco oil beetle, which tricks young, randy bees into carrying beetle larvae onto their next sexual adventures. Once the beetle larvae get into the female bee鈥檚 nest, they eat the pollen and nectar she is storing for her offspring. Then they eat the offspring.

While this is a gruesome scenario, it is humans that have become the number one enemy of many of the world鈥檚 bees, says Packer. Clearing forest for agriculture improved habitats for many bees, but since then we have had increasingly negative impacts, he says. For example, bumble bee colonies that were shipped to greenhouses were later found to be diseased and spread disease to wild bees nearby.

More recently, pesticide use has been shown to affect the foraging behaviour of bees, so they bring less food home, and produce fewer offspring. Global warming, the introduction of invasive species, and habitat fragmentation have also led to worldwide concern about bees.

The solution begins in our own backyards, Packer suggests 鈥� in his case, in a small downtown Toronto backyard with a wooden grape arbour where large carpenter bees nest, raspberry canes for small carpenter bees and masked bees, and soft brickwork for orchard bees 鈭� all in all, homes for about 30 species of the 100 species found in Toronto.

In addition to providing nest sites, Packer urges readers to grow native species plants, refrain from pesticide use, buy organic food when possible, encourage bee-friendly practices by government, and walk on the grass. If enough of us do it, he says, the bees will nest in the sloped sides of that footpath.

Members of the Packer Lab at 91亚色 conduct a wide variety of research on bee biology. The author鈥檚 proceeds from sales of Keeping the Bees will be dedicated to bee conservation research by graduate students.

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