Borrow a bee colony? West Vancouver library loans out pollinators
Patrons at the West Vancouver Memorial Library are abuzz over a loan program of mason bees that come with their own “bungalow.”
The bee program is a bid to educate people about the need for pollinators and how simple it is to raise these easygoing insects, said Taren Urquhart, the library's arts and special events programmer.
Participants must first take in a 60-minute lecture to learn the basics about the bees' life cycle and how to take care of their homes, Urquhart said, then they can borrow the home along with the dormant young bees to begin a year of beekeeping.
“They are fascinating. Once you start learning about them, you'll get hooked,” she said. “They are very gentle and easy to raise in your backyard.”
The bungalow is a circular tube made out of plumbing piping, about 10 centimetres in circumference. Inside are several grass reed tubes that look like thick straws. The bees spend the spring filling the tubes with their eggs, along with nectar and pollen to feed their young, before their lifecycle is complete in June, Urquhart said.
Ten to 15 mason bee cocoons can be borrowed along with the bungalow by anyone who has a West Vancouver Memorial Library card.
The colony can be attached outside a home or even on an apartment patio.
The program started during the pandemic three years ago, and while registration is full this year with 27 bee homes loaned out, Urquhart said she's happy to add anyone who wants to take part to the list.
Unlike honeybees, which were brought to North America by European settlers, mason bees are native to B.C. They are solitary pollinators, preferring to work alone but live together in a colony.
The don't make honey and they aren't stingers. In the 30 years Urquhart has worked with the insects, she said she's been stung twice.
There's no yellow on these bees, and they can be confused for houseflies because their bodies are a shimmering black and blue.
“You've probably seen them in your backyard and not known they were a bee,” said Urquhart.
They are hard workers, she said, noting that while honeybees head in when it showers the masons are still moving plant to plant.
“They are very, very effective pollinators. In fact, much better pollinators than the honeybees,” she said.
Lesley Childs, a staff member at the library, said she started mason bee-keeping ten years ago after receiving a bee house made by Urquhart`s father.
“The first year I put the bees in, I noticed that I had so much more fruit from the plum tree. It was amazing and I found my garden is very productive,” said Childs.
She now has three bee houses and said she enjoys spending her time watching them.
Those who borrowed the bee home are invited back to the library each spring for a cocoon washing party, to ensure the environment is clean so the young have a better chance of survival.
“We open up all the tubes, we washthe cocoons, and we learn from each other,” said Urquhart.
The program has attracted a wide range of beekeepers, from young families with children and seniors who want to get involved with nature, to people who weren't your typical “bug people,” she said.
“They are like, 'I don't know what I'm getting into,' but once we start handling them … I want them to touch them. I want them to be curious,” she said.
In fact, Urquhart said the project is more than just about bee-keeping, it's also helping to provide safe, clean habitat for the insects.
“I think as humans, we jump a little too fast. We are like, 'let's make houses for bees,' but we don't look, are we doing this right? Are we keeping them clean? We are asking them to live in a very small contained area, which isn't natural.
“So, let's make sure we are looking after them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 23, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.