McMaster students lead project to house bees
We can all help the bee population by planting native species and avoiding pesticides
CALLUM HALES
Bee populations are decreasing rapidly due to human action. This may not seem pressing, but we rely on bees for many things.
Bees pollinate plants, which benefits us by providing a wide selection of food to eat. Without bees, we would lose much of our food and plant species.
When most people think of bees, they think of honey or bumble bees. But did you know that there are actually between 20,000 and 30,000 bee species worldwide?
Solitary bees make up about 90 per cent of all bee species. They are peaceful and are expert pollinators because they spread pollen more effectively than other species of bees. Pollination is needed for many plants to reproduce — which means that plants that provide us with fruits, vegetables and a variety of other food are at risk because pollinator species are in poor health, suffering large population loss mainly because of human activity.
For example, pesticides are harmful to bees. A common type derived from nicotine called neonicotinoids weakens the natural defences of bees and decreases their lifespans. Bees are also losing their habitat due to an increase in development and intensive farming practices, which cause bee populations to dissipate.
While this is a large-scale issue, individuals can make a significant difference with consistent, small actions.
“The number 1 thing you can do is remove non-native species,” says Sebastian Irazuzta, a McMaster University PhD student researching bees. Non-native species, he explains, do not help native bees and compete with native plant species for resources. “The second thing you can do is plant native plants, and that doesn’t have to be super expensive.”
One group of students at McMaster have set out to do just that. Inspired by The Solitary Bee Project, founded by local high school student Simran Jolly, McMaster students have designed, built and erected 50 solitary bee homes on campus. On Oct. 27 of this year, four students in SUSTAIN 3S03 collaborated with the McMaster Students Union, McMaster Facility Services and Trees for Hamilton to plant 100 native species around the bee homes.
Craig MacDonald, the director of maintenance services at McMaster, planted the native species along with his team from facility services.
“Working on this project has been a great way to implement a critical sustainability initiative on campus,” he says. “Dozens of staff and managers in facility services have contributed to a variety of deliverables around the Solitary Bee Project. The fact that our department embraces this and other projects underscores our collective and continued commitment to making the campus and our community more sustainable.”
There are a variety of resources for Hamiltonians to learn more about native and non-native plant species in our city. The Hamilton Pollinator Paradise Project, a collaborative initiative between Environment Hamilton and Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, has a tool kit on their website containing information about what plant species are native and which are invasive. They also provide a list of local retailers where people can buy native plant species.
Staying away from pesticides is also important, as they can be harmful to bees.
The simple action of removing non-native species and planting native ones can be cost-efficient, accessible and a great way to help the solitary bee population. In addition, it will brighten up your property.
It is important for both institutions and individuals to take part because we will all feel the impacts of our actions. It is important to do whatever we can to help save bees — because not only are we helping them, but also ourselves.
Callum Hales is a fourth-year McMaster University student. He is working on the Solitary Bee Project for a course on Implementing Sustainable Change, along with group members Samara Hasan, Abhik Sen, and Waslat Waizi, all thirdyear students.