Survey across Ontario for bumble bees.
WPC has multiple field crews across Ontario surveying bumble bees, and specifically looking for yellow-banded and tri-coloured bumble bee queens throughout the spring.
Bumble Bee Conservation Lab
Wondering what’s going on inside that lab in front of you? Believe it or not there are hundreds of buzzing bumble bees on the other side of those walls, and our biologists are hard at work right next to them!
This is the only bumble bee breeding program in the world for endangered species.
Although our lab is quite small, it houses 3 colony cabinets where we keep our bees nice and happy! Checkout the video below to see a glimpse of one of these cabinets, and get up close and personal with a bumble bee colony while our biologists deliver a fresh round of pollen.
Did you know that bumble bee pollination is critical for the food we eat? They’re responsible for bringing us 1 in 3 bites of food. They are also essential for pollinating specific crops like blueberries and tomatoes due to their unique ability to buzz pollinate. Other pollinators simply cannot do what bumble bees can!
Conservation breeding and release programs are a proven way to bring species back from the brink of extinction, but these conservation programs for insects like bumble bees are actually quite rare. That’s why Wildlife Preservation Canada is developing new techniques to breed at risk bumble bee species, like the yellow-banded bumble bee.
With logistical support from the African Lion Safari, our shared goal is to breed and release bumble bees to save species from extinction.
If you would like to keep our meadows buzzing with pollinators like bumble bees, consider donating now to support this work
How do we breed bumble bees?
A healthy colony of bumble bees like this yellow-banded bumble bee colony below, is our goal. But how do we get to this point?
These are the factors that play a role in keeping these bumble bees healthy:
Ideal Diet
Bumble bees require pollen and nectar to survive, but how exactly do we feed them? We get honey bee collected pollen from beekeepers and mix it together with a bit of nectar and make individual pollen balls to feed our bees so we know exactly how much they’re eating. We also make artificial nectar which is mainly just sugar water, but with some added supplements to increase their nutrition!
Below: Making pollen balls that are individually weighed, Below: Making nectar. Photos: Stacey Evans
We also have ongoing experiments on which pollen is best for their health and reproduction. Some pollens we have investigated are: red maple, willow, sumac and hawthorn.
Read our WPC Blog ‘A bumble bees journey’
Temperature/humidity control
Bumble bees breed best within a certain range of temperature and humidity. They like it pretty hot and humid – 20-25C and around 60% humidity.Bumble bees breed best within a certain range of temperature and humidity. They like it pretty hot and humid – 20-25C and around 60% humidity.
Tracking Health
We do checks on our bees every other day so we can keep track of how they’re doing and whether they seem healthy.
We also periodically fecal sample our bees for parasite prevalence and intensity
- We want to know whether this changes over time with different diet
- We want to separate healthy bees from sick bees
Microscopic view of a parasite found in a bumble bee feces sample (objects circled are Vairimorpha spp. spores).
Cleaning
In the wild Bumble bees have a much better opportunity to clean up after themselves as they can bring the “trash” outside, but in the lab they are in closed boxes so we have to do the trash clean up for them! This is extra important when trying to ensure we don’t spread parasites or pathogens from bee to bee in our lab.
Mating
In the wild new queens (gynes) and males would naturally meet up to mate but we have to pair them ourselves and observe whether they’ve mated! This takes place from late August to early October.
Read the WPC Blog ‘Beyond workers: mating and overwintering bumble bees’
Overwintering
In the wild bumble bee queens overwinter underground for the whole winter, and we simulate these conditions within a temperature and humidity controlled fridge. Placing sterilized soil in a tube, we gently place the sleepy queen in her own special tube for a long winters nap.
The yellow-banded bumble bee
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The yellow-banded bumble bee, listed as Special Concern (COSEWIC assessment; Special Concern in Ontario, Vulnerable globally (IUCN assessment)).
The yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) is Special Concern in Canada and has been declining mainly within the southern portion of its range, including Southern Ontario.
It is also closely related to other declining bumble bee species in Canada, including the rusty-patched bumble bee which hasn’t been found in Canada since 2009.
The work conducted within the Bumble Bee Conservation Lab is mainly focused on the recovery of the yellow-banded bumble bee, but this research will also help other declining bumble bee species.
The yellow-banded bumble bee distribution is shrinking
This map shows the range of yellow-banded bumble bee records from 1824-2008 in white dots. Compare that to the blue dots which are sightings since 2009. The range that this bumble bee species occupies is noticeably smaller.
Figure provided from: Yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola): management plan proposed 2022.
How can you help save bumble bees?
1. Bumble Bee Watch / Community Science
- Take a photo on your phone and get involved with BumbleBeeWatch.org! This community science database is a free app and website that helps fill in gaps in survey coverage and is a vital tool in guiding our searches for at-risk species.
- Join one of WPC’s Community Science Program (Email for more information about the program and bee walks):
- Pinery Provincial Park (late June – September)
- Two Bee Walks at Pinery Community science information.
2. Plant Flowers
- Plant flowers that will bloom all year round to support the full bumble bee life cycle! Download the reference sheet ‘A flower patch for the rusty-patched’ or these region specific Planting Guides by Pollinator Partnership.
3. Nesting/Overwintering
- Be a messy gardener! Leave a small section of your yard with undisturbed soil, brush piles/logs, leaves, and long grass. Bumble bees love to live in underground burrows so if possible leave small rodent holes or burrows alone!