ANBC Spring 2021 Newsletter

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Spring 2021 Newsletter

ANBC Update

The past year was a challenging time for the Alberta Native Bee Council as COVID-19 restrictions prevented us from hosting workshops or presentations over the past year. However, many presentations have been given online by ANBC members. In October of last year we successfully held our 2020 Annual General Meeting, where ANBC members gathered virtually to share our latest news and to elect new board members.

Read on to learn more about what we have been up to.

Our New Website

ANBC is thrilled to unveil our updated website! Check out the new look and content here. Many thanks to board members Meghan Jacklin and Nikki Paskar for their hard work in getting the new site up and running.

You can also stay up-to-date on ANBC news by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Pollinator Week

Pollinator Week is an annual international event to celebrate pollinators, raise awareness for their conservation and health, and spread the word about how to protect them. Events are scheduled by many groups during the week across Canada and the United States. This year, Pollinator Week is from June 21-27, 2021.

Native bees play an important part in the overall diversity of insect life on earth. ANBC is celebrating Alberta’s native bees with a logo contest as well as a guest Zoom presentation on wild bees and the role their nesting sites play in bee ecology and evolution. The talk is presented by Jess Vickruck, PhD, Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Join us on June 24 at 6 pm MST.

Register and find out more about our Pollinator Week activities here.

Welcome New Board Members!

ANBC is excited to welcome our new board members elected at the AGM last fall. The board welcomes Sydney Worthy as our new Vice President, and Meghan Jacklin and Nikki Paskar as Board Directors.

We would also like to thank departing board members, Connor Nelson (past Vice-President) and Brad Jones (past Board Director) for sharing their time and expertise with us.

Head over to our new blog to read more about Sydney and Connor's research or to our Our Board page for bios on all of the ANBC board members.

Social Media Contest

ANBC also has a new logo featuring a native bee and native plants of Alberta. As part of our Pollinator Week activities, if you identify the seven native plants in our new logo you could win an ANBC T-shirt and stickers.

To enter the contest:

Like our Facebook page and share our post on the contest
Identify the seven flowers in our new logo and post your answer in a comment on our original post
We will randomly draw a name from all entries who like, share and comment on our original post

The contest closes at midnight on June 27 and a winner will be drawn at random.

Put out your Bumble Bee Box!

If you haven't already, make sure that you've put your bumble bee box outside! At the end of the season, remember to fill out our online monitoring form.

Interested in our bumble bee box monitoring program? Read more about it here!

Memberships & Merch

Alberta Native Bee Council memberships are valid from September 1 through August 31.

Read more about our membership options and benefits here, or purchase one from our new web store. You can also purchase some of our brand new merch!

Thank you for supporting our work!

Is "beewashing" the new "greenwashing"?

Are you keeping bees for the right reasons? Check out this article by Ron Miksha exploring the various reasons people keep managed bees, and why we should focus our "Save the Bees" efforts on native bees instead.

Wildflowers for Alberta's Wild Bees

ANBC has just finalized our Top 12 Wildflowers for Alberta's Wild Bees guide! It features some of our favourite native plant species that you can plant in your own backyard to help wild bees.

You can check out the list on our website here. Check back soon for a more comprehensive plant list for pollinators!

Bee-friendly Landscaping

Interested in how you can help native bees in your yard this year? Check out this guest blog by Natasha Stairs from the Edmonton Native Plant Group on Supporting Native Bees in Your Landscape with Locally Sourced Native Plants. It offers great ideas on the best ways to incorporate native plants into your landscape. Natasha also provides a list of plants and valuable resources on native plants and how to support pollinators in your yard.

Graduate Student / Postdoctoral Fellow Positions in Apiculture Research

The Apiculture and Pollination lab at the University of Lethbridge is seeking applicants interested in honey bee research to join their team in January or May 2022. Funding is available for a MSc and a postdoctoral position in the Department of Biological Sciences. The graduate student and postdoctoral scholar will work under the supervision of Dr. Shelley Hoover, with other students, technical staff, and collaborators. The program has over 100 research colonies in apiaries on campus and in nearby agricultural settings.

Click here for the full posting.