The Buzz
- Native Bee Society of BC
- 7 days ago
- 13 min read
Newsletter of the Native Bee Society of British Columbia August 2026
Volume 7 | Issue 2
-----
Editors-in-chief: M. Marriott
Contributors: Gwendolyn Williams, Bonnie Zand, Helena Gadzik, Maureen Marriott Cover image: Dianthidium subparvum, photo: Jade Lee
Buzz Straight to Article:
NBSBC Annual General Meeting: Save the Date
Genera Profile: Melissodes
NBSBC Annual General Meeting: Save the Date
Monday, November 23, 2026, 7pm, Zoom
Attend our AGM to learn what we have been up to and what's to come!
The Native Bee Society of BC is holding its AGM on Monday, November 23, via Zoom. The details are still being developed, but it will undoubtedly be a memorable evening that includes brilliant bee talk, engaging conversations, and important NBSBC business, including board elections. Stay tuned to our Events page and our social channels for details once registration becomes available.
In order to vote at the AGM, you must be a current member of the NBSBC. Memberships purchased after September 1, 2026, will be valid until the end of December, 2027, and will allow you to vote at the AGM in November. If you are not sure what your current membership status is, please email us at BCnativebees@gmail.com. Memberships can be purchased or renewed here.
Pollinator Week / Month Events and Fundraising: June 2026
By Gwendolyn Williams
This year’s Pollinator Week / Month was a buzzing success! It began on World Bee Day, May 20th where we kicked off the celebrations with a Bee Atlas presentation, talking about some of the incredible Bee Atlas finds to date, and introduced the BC’s Favourite Bee of 2026 contest!
Each Bee Contestant was valiantly defended by one of our passionate members.
Matt Young defended one of BC’s most gorgeous Bumblebees; the Vancouver Bumblebee, Bombus vancouverensis. His defense touched on the regional colour variants of this beauty. “Found across North America, the Vancouver Bumblebee comes in more than one look: some wear yellow and black, while others sport yellow, black and red depending on where they’re found,” he told us.
Coelioxys rufitarsis, the Red-Footed Sharptail Bee, was defended by Elaine Sedgman. “I'm encouraging you to vote for Coelioxys rufitarsis as BC’s Favourite Bee because she is so extraordinarily deviant.” This cuckoo bee lays her eggs in the nests of leafcutter bees, avoiding the work of provisioning them herself.
Lori Weidenhammer defended one of BC’s smallest bees; Ceratina acantha, the Small Carpenter Bee. Smaller than your pinky nail, and shiny black/blue, this little sweetheart loves to nest in pithy stems like blackberry. "This micro-metal diva is bringing you GOAT girl-power in the tiniest of packages,” said Lori. “She’s shiny, tiny and spiny, and she's a winner baby.”
Megachile fidelis, the Faithful Leafcutter Bee was defended by Gwendolyn Williams. “I vote for Megachile fidelis because this girl does it all! She’s a single mom and still gets the job done, crafting perfect cells out of carefully selected leaf pieces.” Leafcutters use their large mandibles (chompers) to cut leaf pieces to line their nest cells. They then collect pollen to feed their young using the fluffy hairs on their bellies!
And the winner of the BC’s Favourite Bee of 2026 contest was Andrena astragali, the Death Camas Mining Bee. Defended by Emily Carmichael, the Death Camas Mining Bee won over all our hearts. A poisonous-plant lover, this bee raises her young entirely on pollen that would kill most other insects who dared to eat it. She’s what's considered a super-specialist, and the Death Camas flowers depend as much on her as she does on them. “While this bee is so tough it does not perish from poisonous pollen, it also has a softer side - neither this specialist bee, nor its host plant could exist without the other, making them intrinsically co-dependent. This bee highlights the importance of connection between species, and that it's OK to need a support system. This bee celebrates diversity and brings attention to the conservation of threatened ecosystems like the Garry Oak meadows where it resides,” explains Emily.
Overall, 927 votes were cast across all the contestants: 300 for the Death Camas Mining Bee winner. We smashed our donation goal of $5,000 which was graciously matched by our long-time supporter Stephen Partington, bringing the total to $10,586.39.
Several other fundraisers happened during pollinator week as well!
A huge thank you to Saltspring Kitchen Co. who raised $500 by donating $1 from every jar of their Blueberry & Basil Fruit Spread, Raspberry & Rose Fruit Spread, and their Peach & Lavender Fruit Spread, as well as $2 from the 3-pack “Sweet Collection” during June’s Pollinator Week. They also donated a gorgeous gift basket valued at over $150 which was given away on Instagram to one of the many, many people who shared, liked and commented on the fundraiser to help raise awareness of the Native Bee Society of BC and the work we do. Thank you so much SaltSpring Kitchen Co!
Tattoo Fundraiser
20+ tattoo artists across BC got together again this year to design pollinator themed flash tattoo designs. Admirers of the different art pieces could donate to be entered to win the piece they loved, and get it tattooed! These artists spent Pollinator Week promoting the event and bringing awareness to BC’s Native Bees, and at the end of the week had raised over $9300! Thank you so much to this amazing group of artists and nature-lovers.
Microscope Session
Native Bee Society of BC board member Bonnie Zand hosted a microscope session to take a closer look at the “BC’s Favourite Bee of 2026” contestants. Participation by donation helped raise another $115.
Moonbeams Creative Sanctuary in Nelson, BC, hosted a BEE Creative Paint & Sip event with 10% of proceeds going to the Native Bee Society of BC! It was successful and fun, with $75 raised.
Thank you to all who hosted, planned and hustled to raise money for BC’s Native Bees during pollinator week, and the rest of the year! We are always in awe of the creative ways you all show up for our precious pollinators. If you have a creative fundraiser idea, please feel free to reach out at bcnativebees@gmail.com
On Now! Art Contest: Bee Inspired - Art for Conservation
The Native Bee Society of BC, in partnership with the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, is excited to present Bee Inspired – Art for Conservation. This province-wide juried art competition and outdoor exhibition celebrates the wonder and importance of British Columbia’s native bees. Featuring artwork from across BC, this exhibition invites visitors to experience the connection between creativity, ecology, and conservation.
Work by the selected artists will be on exhibit at the Gardens of the Horiculture Centre of the Pacific in Victoria, BC, from August 8-21, 2026. The show launched alongside HCP's 32nd Annual Arts & Music Festival, August 8–9 — a vibrant two-day celebration set amongst nine acres of botanical gardens, with over 60 local art vendors, live music, food trucks, a plant sale, and family activities throughout the weekend. It's a lively opening for the exhibition, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore bee-inspired artwork alongside HCP's celebration of creativity and community.
People's Choice Award
Visitors can support their favourite artwork through a vote-by-donation system either in person at HCP or online from anywhere. Your contribution helps fund native bee habitat education, community outreach, and conservation initiatives across BC.
If you are in the Victoria area from August 8-21, make sure to stop by the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, view the fabulous artworks in person and vote for your favourite bee-inspired piece. You can also view the gallery and vote online from wherever you are!
Why This Matters
Native bees play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting food systems, yet many species face habitat loss and environmental pressures. This exhibition brings together art, ecology and conservation to inspire appreciation and action for BC’s native pollinators.
Melittoflora Redesign: Share Your Feedback!
by Bonnie Zand
The BC Bee Atlas is busy creating loads of data on the diversity, distribution and floral partners of BC’s amazing bees! Our bee diversity and distribution data are available for exploration on Ecdysis and GBIF. We are also working with Oregon State University (OSU) to get our floral association data onto their Bee-Plant Interaction Tool (the Melittoflora). As part of this process, OSU is planning a redevelopment of Melittoflora over the winter and we could really use your feedback to help make this tool work better for our data users.
Melittoflora
/məˌlɪtoʊˈflɔːrə/ meh-lit-toe-flaw-ruh
The name Melittoflora combines the greek Melitta, meaning bee, and flora, which aggregates the plant taxa from a specific region. In this case the Melittoflora is a data exploration, visualization, and analytical interface that empowers users to explore species occurrence records of bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) interacting with flowering plants (Plantae: Tracheophyta), visualize their complex networks, and output a variety of informative products.
Melittoflora is a tool to view the bee-plant interaction data that the British Columbia, Washington and Oregon Bee Atlas produce — currently with over 180,000 bee-plant connections in Oregon alone. Whether you use it for restoration planning, inventory and monitoring, species status assessments, or educating landowners, your input can help shape the next version.
Melittoflora Redesign Survey
Melittoflora was created to bridge native bee records with host plant relationships in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and New Mexico. You can visit the Oregon version here. We are currently redesigning the platform to make it more intuitive, actionable, and tailored to your needs.
Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey and share it with any who works with bee plant data.
Thank you for taking the time to help us redesign Melittoflora!
Looking for a BC Sponsor
The BC Bee Atlas is currently looking for a sponsor to help us get our data onto the BC specific instance of this tool – do you know of a company or organization that would be interested in partnering with us? Please reach out to BeeAtlas@bcnativebees.org.
Bio
Bonnie Zand is an RPBio based out of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. She works in the intersections of pollinators and agriculture, running an IPM consulting company, Bonnie’s Bugs IPM. Bonnie is the BC instructor for the Master Melittolgist Program and also teaches the NBSBC’s Mini Bee Schools. Bonnie also runs our online Native Bee Study Group. She loves to help others learn how awesome bees are, and is instrumental to, and passionate about, the NBSBC's BC Bee Atlas.
Bee Talk In Sayward: A Lesson In Adaptation (Mostly Mine)
by Helena Gadzik
I was invited by the Sayward Garden Club to give a talk on planting your-round for native bees. With spring in full swing, it felt like the perfect topic - and, being an organized person, I came thoroughly prepared.
Before the presentation, I even managed a short walk at the beautiful Salmon River Estuary, which felt like a gift. Calm, scenic, and full of promise - unlike what awaited me at the Heritage Hall.
I arrived equipped with everything: laptop, memory stick, HDMI cable, and, for good measure, an extension cord. Experience has taught me tht one should always be ready for surprises.
And how true that turned out to be.
Although we had previously discussed the need for a screen and projector … neither was available.
Now, I can talk endlessly about bees (with very little encouragement), but the plants? The plants rely rather heavily on my PowerPoint. Improvisation is one thing - botanical accuracy from memory is quite another.
Salvation came in the form of a late-arriving gentleman who managed to unlock a closet containing a screen. A small but meaningful victory.
The projector, however, was still missing.
Another gentleman then recalled he had an “older” projector at home ( a description that
Proved to be generous). Off he went, returning some time later with a device that looked like it might also project memories from the 1990s.
No one present knew quite how to operate it.
At this point, my extension cord entered the story as a key supporting character - but of course, we lacked a proper electrical divider. What followed was a collaborative exercise in creativity, optimism, and mild confusion.
And somehow … it all worked.
This shared adventure broke the ice in the most delightful way. By the time the presentation began, we were no longer strangers but c0-conspirators in a small technological triumph.
There were 13 attendees (including my husband and I) and I had an absolute blast. We talked about native bees, about planting through the seasons, and about how even small gardens can become vital habitats.
By the end, after questions and conversations, the atmosphere felt less like formal talk and more like a gathering of friends.
They sent me home with goodies, heartfelt thanks, and practical advice about elk on the road - and something called “furry bats,” which I took seriously enough to drive very carefully.
As we made our way home through darkness and wilderness, I felt almost intoxicated - not from anything I consumed, but from that rare and wonderful feeling of connection. A sense of a job well done, and of having been welcomed into a remote community that was open, kind, and genuinely eager to learn.
I went to Sayward to talk about bees.
I came home reminded that community - like pollination - is a collaborative effort.
Bio
Helena Gadzik is an artist and native bee champion who lives in Campbell River, BC, and is a graduate of the apprentice Master Melittologist Program. She has been a member of the Native Bee Society of BC since 2022, and is also a member of the Washington Native Bee Society. Check out Helena's entry in the Bee Inspired Art Contest here.
Genera Profile: Melissodes (Summer Longhorn Bees)
Genera Highlight
We have 11 species of Melissodes (Summer Longhorn Bees) in BC. They are active from summer to fall and vary pretty drastically in size and appearance; from just 7mm to 17mm. They can be light or dark coloured with lots of fluffy hair, and often stripes! Melissodes exhibit sexual dimorphism; the males all have extremely long antennae, making them distinctly different looking than the females. These ground-nesting bees prefer to dig on flat ground or vertical banks and, unlike most other types of bees, each nest has only one nest cell. Many Melissodes are specialists on Asteraceae and rely on them exclusively to provision their young.
These bee genera profiles are currently available for free download on our website. This project is supported by the BC Bee Program; delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation with funding from the Government of British Columbia.
Upcoming Events
Mini Bee School, August 15-16, Nanaimo, BC
Our popular Mini Bee School (Two-day Bee Biology and Identification Workshop) is back in Nanaimo, August 15-16, at the Beban Park Social Centre. On Day 1, participants will examine bee specimens using digital microscopes and learn about the key ID features that can be observed in bees in the field or in photographs. On Day 2, participants go outdoors to put these learned skills to the test observing and collecting bees. Find out more and register.
Richmond Garlic Fest, August 15, 10am-3pm, Terra Nova Rural Park, Richmond. BC
Look for the NBSBC table at this popular annual celebration in Richmond, BC featuring local produce, artisanal products and hundreds of pounds of locally grown garlic, garlic-inspired food and specialty treats. For over a decade, Richmond Garlic Fest has supported the Sharing Farm’s work of cultivating fresh, sustainably grown produce for community members facing food insecurity. Educational workshops include a bee talk with NBSBC Board Member Kristen Penhall. Find out more.
Mini Bee School, August 22 (with optional field day August 23), Rossland, BC
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!
Presented in partnership with the Kootenay Native Plant Society, this classroom-based workshop will provide you with identification strategies for common native bees, as well as in depth information on their nesting, overwintering, and flower preferences! The following day you have the option to join a walk on Record Ridge, exploring an amazing local natural area and observing bees and their habitat in the field.
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. In the field we will discuss the use of iNaturalist and the NBSBC’s BC Bee Atlas as tools for supporting native bees. We will also look for examples of important native bee habitat features and discuss practical habitat conservation measures that community members can take. Find out more and register on our website.
Native Bee Study Group, Wednesday, August 26, 7pm, on Zoom
Join us for our August 2026 meeting. Our online study group meets on the fourth Wednesday each month (except December) at 7 pm via Zoom. This group is an opportunity for connecting and learning about native bees with others throughout the province. We use a show and tell format, and anyone who is interested in participating can create a slide on the shared google slides deck to share with the group (link sent with registration). Experts and complete beginners welcome! RSVP here.
NBSBC Annual General Meeting, Monday, November 23, 7pm, on Zoom
Mark your calendar for this year's AGM. Find out what we've been up to in 2026 and what we have planned for the year ahead. Stay tuned to our Events page and social media channels for more details.
Recent Events
Victoria Mini Bee School (Two-day Bee Biology and Identification Workshop), Saturday, June 5-Sunday, June 6, Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, Victoria, BC
Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP) and Native Bee Society of BC partnered to bring a two-day Mini Bee School to the beautiful HCP Pavilion and Gardens in Victoria. Day 1 took place in the HCP Pavilion to provide identification strategies for common native bees, as well as information on their nesting, overwintering, and flower preferences. Day 2, participants tested their identification knowledge observing native bees and their plant associations in the native flower fields of Satinflower Nurseries.
BC Native Bee Course 2026, June 10-14, Penticton, BC
The 2026 offering of our annual Native Bee Course and Field Trips (aka BIG Bee School) were held in Penticton and Okanagan-Similkameen this year, taught by lead instructor Lincoln Best and co-instructor, Jade Lee. It was an intensive and inspiring week of learning and of sharing knowledge both in the lab and in the field.
Thank you to everyone who took part! If you missed it this year, keep an eye on our website, emails and socials in spring 2027 for news of next year's "Big Bee School"!
Pollinator Month Fundraisers in June!
Check out Gwendolyn Williams' recap of all the bee-yootiful fundraising activities undertaken by NBSBC members and supporters this past June to celebrate Pollinator Week/Month and the NBSBC BC Bee Atlas.
Plant-Based Foodie: Bee-Inspired Cuisine
Lentil and Sweet Potato Tacos
Recipe shared by Maureen Marriott
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
approx. 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces (approx 1/2 inch)
1 medium onion chopped
2 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
Directions:
Cook lentils in boiling water until tender, 12 to 15 minutes; strain off water. Meanwhile, saute onion and chili powder and chipotle (if using) in olive oil, then add sweet potatoes. Stir in 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring, until potatoes are softened. Add drained lentils and salt and continue cooking for a few minutes, adding more water a spoonful at a time if mixture is too dry. Remove from heat and add lime juice.
Serve with warmed tortillas and a variety of additonal toppings, such as quick pickled cabbage or radish, avocados, chopped tomato, onion, shredded lettuce, salsa, or cilantro.
Do you have a vegan recipe to share? It can be anything (snack, main, drink, dessert) and it doesn't have to be fancy. Send it to us via email with the subject heading, “Newsletter: Plant-based Foodie.”
Connect with us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCNativeBees/
Instagram: @bcnativebees
Interested in getting more involved with the society?
Contact us at: bcnativebees@gmail.com
I loved your insights on the Doodle Baseball phenomenon! I recently connected with some local artists who incorporate similar playful concepts in their work. It’s fascinating how creativity can mirror nature's own designs, much like what you emphasize about bee habitats. Keep sharing these wonderful ideas!