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Bee a Friend to Pollinators – 5 tips to celebrate Bees the right way

It isn’t just about the honey! Bees are so much more than just a source for honey or a nuisance pest. As pollinators, they play a critical role in maintaining the balance in the ecosystem, by promoting and supporting growth of trees and flowers.

While we just celebrated World Bee Day on May 20^th, the annual pollinator week celebrations will occur in June. This year, Canadians will be celebrating the Pollinator Week: Wings of Life from June 20 to June 26.

Over the past few years, bees have been under threat due to unsustainable agriculture and gardening practices, and our team at Kelson Group thought this would be a great time to share some quick tips to become a bee ally while living in more urban settings.

1. Plant more flowering plants

Look for plants that produce good amounts of nectar and pollen, are edible, and attract butterflies or other birds. Such plants attract plentiful bees. Lavendar, Chives and Lemon Bergamot, are examples of some of the plants that you can bring onto your apartment’s balcony and do your part in supporting the pollinators. A diverse variety of plants is best.

2. Build native bee houses

A lot of Canadians have bird houses, encouraging and helping birds acquire food, especially during the winter months. Just like the bird houses, consider the building or buying native bee houses. These native bee houses, often called bee hotels, will help increase pollinator habitat, while providing the native bees with shelter. While it is good to introduce solitary bees such as leafcutter bees to your balcony or patio, it is always best to support the native bees.

3. Sponsor a pollinator-awareness event or take part in one

Consider hosting an event by bringing in a speaker and bring together your neighbours to help raise awareness on protecting the pollinators. Alternatively, look for local or online events where you can participate and learn more on what it means to support the pollinators.

4. Display pollinator artwork to raise awareness

If you have already reached the stage where you know how important bees are, help others by raising awareness through either supporting, creating, or buying artwork that has information on bees. Wearing a bee button, or a having pollinator artwork in your windows on display, could be a starting point for a conversation on bees.

5. Find and buy local honey

Finally, the tastiest way we can think of “bee-ing” a friend to pollinators is to support a local beekeeper and buy local honey. There’s a great website called Local Honey Finder where you can find and purchase local honey close to home.