Stratford Times September 20, 2024 OD SSOSSSZNZSST ee _ a Bees: How do we love thee? JULIA SCHNEIDER Seratford Times Correspondent All summer, I looked forward to hearing Master Gardener Jennie Girard talk about dees at Garden Stratford’s first meeting of he fall Sept. 9. The spectacle of uninter- upted bee busyness in my native garden hroughout the summer had made me real- ze how little I knew about these creatures ind led to the question, “How much could jirard tell me and others in the two hours llotted to her presentation?” Enough to whet one’s appetite or more, as | turned out. A woman who confessed at the outset, I fell in love with bugs; I’m crazy about ugs,” turned out to have an encyclopedic nowledge of them, and a tremendous de- ire to share her enthusiasm. “I could spend hours talking to you about ees,” she told her audience. With just two, she covered some basics. There is so much to learn about these fas- nating creatures, of which there are over 350 native species in southern Ontario, ex- cluding honeybees, which are not native. Bees and plants have evolved togeth- er over the past many millions of years as each symbiotically grew to rely on the other to help them survive and reproduce. Not surprisingly, native bees do best with native plants, which Girard termed “of high-octane value” compared to non-native ones, but their taste in plants varies. Some species are attracted to all plants, others to a select few, and then there are the “mono- lectics” which depend on just one pollen source. Squash bees are a good example of this. There are bees that tickle, long-haired bees, bees with long tongues and short ones, small bees and big ones, and there are also bumblebees, “the teddy bears of the bee world,” and carpenter bees that look like them “but have shiny butts.” Thanks to Girard, I now know the care- fully chiseled edges of some leaves in my garden were created by leaf-cutter bees, which are experts at their craft. Unlike wasps, from which they evolved, bees are not by nature aggressive and don’t often sting. Girard had another compari- son: bees evolved from carnivorous wasps, but “they got wise and became vegetari- ans!” There are solitary bees and social bees, but all rely on pollen and nectar when it comes to procreation and life. Only the females collect pollen and only those that are queens reproduce. All die in the win- ter, except the queens, dubbed “gynes,” which have thousands of eggs in the spring to start a new cycle. Males only exist to fertilize the queen — and only one in seven (who’s counting?) is successful! Girard made it clear that while plants and bees depend on each other, we depend on them if life is to continue. We owe it to them and to ourselves to help them survive and yet some are currently threatened and numbers generally are decreasing. Their habitats are threatened and changes in the climate create many challenges and nega- tive effects. At the same time, overly metic- ulous gardeners add to these threats. “People are still using pesticides,” Gi- rard said. People can help by avoiding the poison and leaving refuges for the overwintering of fertilized queens (gynes) so they can emerge in the spring. These include areas where leaves and rotting branches are left. People can also plant native plants and es- chew manicured lawns, which contribute nothing to life on this planet. For those who want to learn more about bees, Girard suggested contacting Wild- life Preservation Canada, based in Guelph, which has training courses for would-be bee-watchers from June to mid-Septem- It’s too late for this year, but I can hardly wait for summer 2025! Garden Stratford has meetings at the Army and Navy Hall on Lorne Avenue on the first Monday of the month except during the summer. Attendance is free to the public but interested individuals can become members for just $15 a year. Environmental Heroes: Becoming better stewards of the planet NNA KOWALCHUK mes Contributor A friend and | were recently having one those pleasant meandering conversa- ms about everything and nothing when © topic turned to one of our favourite 3C Radio programmes called “What on th?” (broadcast Sundays at 11 a.m.). It’s excellent series that looks at the global er-heating crisis from the perspective solution, and is a must-listen for those sling disheartened by the state of our en- ronment. As we were marvelling at the truly 1azing innovations featured in one of the isodes, a thought occurred to me. ‘Isn’t this just about finding better ways bail water from a sinking ship without tually plugging the source of the leak?” Jur conversation came to a screeching It. You see, dear reader, my friend drives a . Not a somewhat less-polluting though fortunately still expensive electric car, t an old fashioned, gas-guzzling, car- n-belching classic. It seems that I had, ly without intending to, hit a nerve. Af- ter a few moments of awkward silence, he coolly and calmly played what I have be- gun referring to as the S card. “Shaming me is not going to get me to stop driving,” he said quietly. I was flabbergasted! This was the sec- ond time in recent weeks that someone had accused me of shaming them. I carefully thought back to what I had said, to what could have elicited his response. All I could think of was my question. I explained that it had, in no way, been my intention to shame him, but after some strained small talk, we mercifully parted ways. As I biked home and for days after, I could not stop thinking about what had happened. I, who pride myself on my prob- lem-solving skills, was truly baffled. But I’m not one to give up easily, so I set out to trace the logic of his response from his point of view. My friend, a free-willed, able-bod- pers Es x i list, is fore, to deflect the trajectory of the conver- sation in order to avoid having to defend what we both knew, particularly in his case, to be the indefensible. He was and is not ready to say out loud that he is falling short because once we admit fault, we have to commit to change which, again, is rarely easy or fun. Poet and shining spirit Maya Angelou gave us the true-ism, “When we know bet- ter, we do better.” But as illustrated above, this is not always the case. Gas-pow- ered vehicles account for 29 per cent of the greenhouse gasses that cause global over-heating. The information is out there. We know better, yet some of us are choos- ing not to do better. But here’s something worth keeping in mind. Doing, wheri we can, what we know to be right clears our conscience. And a clear conscience is an actual superpower! It makes us invulnerable to the opinions of others. It gives us a strength, resilience and resolve that is unshakable and unas- sailable, which means that we can never in anyone ed or diminished by real or imagined. So, those of us who know better, let’s not waste any more time with defensiveness and false indignation. Let’s gather up our courage and reclaim our integrity. Let’s become, in every way possible, better rol- emodels and, especially, better stewards of this singularly precious planet that, for the little time left, we can still call home. PS: My friend is a composite of several people with whom I’ve recently had con- versations. If you know of an environmental hero — an individual, company or organization deserving of recognition for their commit- ment to environmentally respectful prac- es — please contact me at frogs-a-leap- ing@tutamail.com. ied, smart, educated and well-informed. He is fully aware that his continued driving is contributing to the critical over-heating of the planet, and he certainly didn’t need or want to hear it from me. He chose, there- HAVE A SPECIAL VENT COMING UP? Let us know! Call 519-655-2341 or email stratfordtimes@gmail.com |GRANT. ‘haven, STRATFORD BE IN THE KNOW! Get the Latest Edition Delivered Straight to Your Inbox!