Bee conservation project has Métis Nation of Alberta members abuzz

A bee conservation project by the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) has members buzzing with excitement over protecting pollinators. 

Jennifer Pylypiw, MNA's environment and climate change engagement and policy manager, said when the Native Bee Conservation Program was launched last year, the response from members was "crazy."

"We originally launched it with just 200 [kits] as we didn't know how it would be received, and they were all claimed in 30 minutes," she said. 

Due to the overwhelming interest last year, the MNA created 500 kits this year. Once again, interest surged and about 1,000 people entered a draw to win one. 

Each kit comes with a bee hotel — a wooden box with straws and drilled holes where bees can tunnel in and make their nests — and wildflower seeds. 

The hotels are supplied by the Edmonton and Area Land Trust which has also provided the MNA with conservation information.

The massive interest in the project comes from a deep appreciation and knowledge of the land among Métis people, Pylypiw said. 

"Our citizens care so deeply about their land and they're so aware of the connection between the pollinators, between the food they eat, between the spaces they enjoy," she said. 

While much attention has been given to the challenges facing honeybees, the MNA's program intends to protect the roughly 300 native bee species in Alberta, some of which are listed as vulnerable. 

"So not honeybees, which are actually a species introduced from Europe," Pylypiw said.

"They're like the little tiny ones that you see as well as bumblebees and things like that."

The province's native bee populations are at risk for a wide variety of reasons including herbicides, monoculture farming, climate change and habitat loss, she added.  

For MNA member Kyla Ferris, who took part in the program last year, the bee hotel was a hit at her after school daycare in Spruce Grove, Alta., 30 kilometres west of Edmonton.  

Ferris noticed trees being cut down in her neighbourhood and joined the program because she wanted to help bring back pollinators. It also ended up being a great teaching tool for the kids. 

They were initially afraid of the bees, but Ferris used the bee hotel to help them understand bees' role in the environment. 

"Now they're their little friends," Ferris said, adding that the bees have brought a lot of entertainment as well as education. 

"They fall asleep in the sunflowers and they'll stay there overnight and it's the cutest thing," she said.

Bee education

In addition to the bee hotels and flower seeds, participants in the MNA's program get an identification guide to find out which species are visiting their hotels, and learn how to install the bee boxes. 

The box should be about a metre off the ground to prevent any other critters from entering and should face south or southeast (the bees enjoy the morning sun, according to Pylypiw). 

There's a small risk that invasive species could decide the hotels are a good place for them, but Pylypiw said the hotels and installation instructions were designed with that in mind.

Participants are also encouraged to clean out their bee hotels once last year's eggs hatch to keep invasive species from taking over. 

Ferris, who said she had no idea Alberta had so many native species of bee, is getting ready to set up her bee hotel again. 

She said it's great to be able to learn and share knowledge about conservation and the environment with the next generation. 

"I think it brings our community closer together. We've always had a strong connection to our environment, to the Earth, and it makes me feel very proud."

The response from MNA members like Ferris has been heartening for Pylypiw. 

"It makes me so proud of the people I work with, of our citizens for getting involved. It's awesome," she said.

She said the MNA plans to keep gathering data from participants to track the population of native bees in the province.