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Bees and OTHER pollinators

Did you know?

There are over 800 types of wild bees in Canada alone. These bees can vary wildly in shape and colour, with some looking more like flies, some have black and white stripes, others being bright blues or greens, and some nest underground while others make holes in wood logs.   Many of these bees are solitary and don't produce honey at all. Despite this, wild bees are crucial to protecting the local ecosystem and they are declining quickly! ​

Here are some of the more common wild bees you might see in your area:
So what about honey bees?

Honey bees are not native to North America. This is why there are very few cultural or religious traditions related to honey outside of Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, where honey-producing bees are found. 
The honey bee found in Canada, the European Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera), is therefore  considered an invasive species.  

The honey bee, unlike the wild bees, live in hives with a complex social structure with thousands of bees with various roles. While they produce more than they need, the honey is the food source for the hive over the winter months.  This means that when a hive is introduced into an area, suddenly wild bees need to compete for their food against the thousands of honey bees. To avoid causing damage to wild bee populations, responsible beekeepers must provide enough space and food sources for both honey bees, and wild bees to live together.  
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What can we do to protect the wild bees?

There are many ways to help! The easiest ways are to simply know more about what they look like, how they act, and why we need them (Don't forget to share what you know)! You can also plant native flowers for them to eat, and create comfortable spots for them to nest over winter. Consider planting a pollinator garden, or building a bee hotel at home or in your local community gardens.  

You can also shop local for organic and sustainably sourced foods to reduce the use of harmful pesticides and emissions. Where possible, also consider creating new community gardens, green spaces, or asking local politicians to increase green space, and reduce pesticide use. 
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What are pollinators? 

Pollinators are anything that carries pollen from one flower to another.  By doing this, the plants are then able to create a fruit and continue to reproduce, and feed not only humans, but other creatures. 
So while bees are ultra efficient at being pollinators, they are not the only things that do. 

Wasps, butterflies, flies, other insects, birds, bats, and other small mammals can also be considered pollinators.
What defines a bee? 

All bees fall under the Hymenoptera order of insect. 
In a very general sense, they all share a common trait of having wings, stingers, and other common characteristics.  While bees can vary wildly in size, colour, and pattern, they all work as pollinators as they move from flowers and trees in the search of food.
​
A unique trait that is commonly associated with bees, is the ability to make honey. However, not all bees do, and bees aren't the only insect that can! Only some bees are able to make enough for humans to take some without endangering the colony.
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Are wasps bees?

NO!  Though they are from a similar family of insect, wasps and hornets are not bees. 
There are some key differences that make telling them apart easy!
  • Wasps have much thinner waists and are sharper looking 
  • Many wasps make large paper nests and live in swarms
  • Wasp eat meat along with nectar
  • Wasps are very aggressive
  • Wasps can sting multiple times
  • Bees are more round and fluffy
  • Wild bees are solitary and nest in logs, twigs, or underground. Only honey bees build hives and live in colonies.
  • Bees only eat nectar or honey
  • Bees are docile and only sting when threatened
  • Bees can only sting once
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Don't bees sting?

How many people are allergic to hornet, wasp, or bee stings?

  • Less than 1% of children
  • About 3% of adults 
How many people die from stings of hornet, wasp, and bees? 
  • Canada: ca 3-4 deaths/yr.
  • CA population: 38 million
  • US, 2000–2017: ca. 62 deaths/yr. 
  • US Pop: over 290 million

How do you treat a bee sting?

1.  
Move away from area where stung
2.  
Remove stinger if still in skin
3.  
Wash with soap and water
4.  
To soothe the skin, apply:
  • calamine lotion 
  • baking soda
  • apple cider vinegar OR
  • Ice
5.  Cover the wound if you want
6.  
Keep an Epi-Pen on hand

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If you want to learn more about bees in North America, or want to get involved in bee conservation in other ways, check out some other resources below from our friends at:
  • Friends of the Earth 
    • Rusty Patched Bumblebee Watch
    • Great Canadian Bumblebee Count - East
    • Great Canadian Bumblebee Count - West
  • Pollinator Partnership
    •  Identifying Native Bees 
  • York University - The Packer Lab
© 2021 BEES FOR PEACE
Bees for Peace is a program of 
Pollinator Partnership Canada, a federally recognized charitable organization
(charitable registration no. 84169 5174 RR0001)
Validation of Pollinator Partnership Canada's charitable registration may be found here.

Bees for Peace acknowledges that it is operating primarily on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, in territory covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Why and How
    • Team
    • Achievements
  • Finding Value in the Web of Life
    • Bees in Religious and Cultural Traditions >
      • Buddhism and Bees
      • Christianity and Bees
      • The Gurung and Bees
      • Hinduism and Bees
      • Islam and Bees >
        • Unani medicine
      • Judaism and Bees
      • The Kawaiwete and Bees
      • The Mayas and Bees
      • The Ogiek and Bees
      • Bees in Indigenous Cultures
    • Web of Life >
      • Buddhism and Nature
      • Christianity and Nature
      • Hinduism and Nature
      • Islam and Nature
      • Judaism and Nature
      • Sikhism and Nature
      • The Golden Rule
    • Faith and Environmentalism >
      • Bees for Peace Israel
      • Islamic Help
  • Bee Protection Made Easy
    • Bees and Other Pollinators
    • Bee Hotels
    • Pollinator Gardens
    • COVID-19 and Community
  • Our Networks
  • Support us!
    • Contact and Privacy
    • Get Involved!