On May 20, the Fulford Academy community celebrated World Bee Day! Led by Mrs. Murray, our school was able to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development.
Here is what Mrs. Murray had to say about the celebration:
- What inspired you to become involved in “World Bee Celebration Day?”
As a UNESCO candidate school, Fulford Academy is required to celebrate two UNESCO World Day’s. I chose World Bee Day because as a science teacher I am interested in how we live with the creatures around us. Bees are threatened by our actions and we rely on them for so much. They also have a bad reputation and I thought it was important to highlight that in a community celebration. I was happy to work with such supportive partners The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network, the Gananoque Public Library and the Centre for Global Education. With so many dedicated people we were able to turn what originally was planned as an In-Person Community Event into an online Virtual Celebration for World Bee Day.
- Describe one idea/concept/piece of information that you learned throughout your research.
This was a community effort and we definitely gathered a lot of information about bees and other pollinators. It was surprising to me just how many species of bees there are just in our area. According to the Queen’s University Biological Station, there are 18 different bees found in this area of Ontario. I also learned that many of the bees in Canada are solitary and do not live in hives. So they are especially at risk due to habitat loss and one thing we can do to help is to build a Bee Hotel. I built a bee hotel for our yard and was surprised it only took me about 15 mins. I was able to gather enough materials from around my yard and home.
- What is the takeaway message you hope everyone understands?
There are so many great messages that came out of our celebration of World Bee Day. I think the biggest one is that you do not have to do anything big or difficult to support bees. If people waited until they saw the bees out in the yard before cleaning out flower beds, or planted wildflowers in their yards, or even gathered some of the hollow wild grasses from around their yard to build a bee hotel, these small things done by a number of people in a neighbourhood would have a large impact on supporting bees in our communities.
- What can we do at home to help celebrate bees?
Little things. Waiting to cut your grass and leaving the dandelion flowers in your lawns. Educating your kids about the difference between bees and wasps, that bees will not sting you unless you threaten them, bees are not to be feared. Bees and other pollinators are creatures that can teach us just how interconnected life on our planet is and how much we need to respect those connections and do everything in our power to protect and support them. As much for our own survival as for the survival of others.
Thank you to Mrs. Murray, our supporting partners, and the Fulford Academy community for celebrating this important event. To watch the replay of the Facebook live event, or to obtain information and resources, please visit: https://sites.google.com/fulfordacademy.com/worldbeeday2020/home