Mini Bee School Burnaby
Sat, Oct 04
|Cranberry Commons
Have you always wanted to know how to ID the amazing diversity of bees buzzing around your flowers? Where do they nest, what do they eat, and how can you support them? Join our Bee Biology and Identification workshop!
Time & Location
Oct 04, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Cranberry Commons, 4272 Albert St, Burnaby, BC V5C 0L1, Canada
About the Event
This one day session will take place in the classroom to provide you with identification strategies for common native bees, as well as in depth information on their nesting, overwintering, and flower preferences!
This workshop is suitable for beginner to intermediate students and will focus on recognizing common bumble bee species and common solitary bee genera. We will be examining bee specimens using low magnification digital microscopes, focusing on features that can be observed in the field and in photographs.
October 4th @ the Cranberry Commons Cohousing in Burnaby 9:00-4:30, with 1 hour lunch
$200 for NBSBC Members
$250 for non-members / professionals
$150 for students / lower income with bursaries available for financial need.
Do you want to sponsor a seat for a student? We would love your support, donations under "Bee School Scholarship Fund" will be set aside for student seats at bee schools!
Please follow this link to our Paypal, or hit the button below marked "Sponsor a Student" If you need a tax receipt for this please visit our donations page for details.
Course Syllabus
Vancouver: 9:00-4:30, with 1 hour lunch
Instructor: Bonnie Zand
Outline:
Intros, housekeeping
How to use the microscopes and handle specimens
Anatomy, terminology
Bees Vs Flies Vs Wasps Vs Honeybees
Practice session
Overview of Bee diversity - families/common genera
Bumblebee ID
Practice session
Biology and ID of short tongue bees
Practice session
Biology and ID of long tongue bees
Practice session
Habitat enhancement and support for native bees
Clean up