Native Bees and Pollinators of British Columbia

My first summer in North Vancouver, I envisioned my patio as a haven for native bees and pollinators. Instead, a non-native butterfly was my most frequent visitor; my watering hole mainly attracted one species of wasp, and while a few bees visited my flowers, it was a far cry from the buzzing biodiversity I’d hoped for. 

As my autumn blooms gave way to winter’s Christmas rose, I discovered some surprising pollinators: flies, happily buzzing in the pollen. 

Flies are one of the most diverse groups of pollinators and are especially important in colder regions. They are also the second most important pollinator after bees. In British Columbia, they are critical for pollinating native skunk cabbage, an early spring native plant found in boggy forested areas. 

This unexpected encounter sparked a question: What other pollinators could I support year-round, and how could I create a more welcoming habitat for BC’s diverse native pollinating species?

British Columbia is home to nearly 600 native bee species, including various bumble bees, leafcutter bees, mason bees, sweat bees, carpenter bees, and many more. Unfortunately, these vital creatures are at risk from habitat loss, invasive non-native species, climate change, and pesticide use.

My journey to foster a more pollinator-friendly garden started with a native bee walk led by Julia Taylor of the Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES). What I learned transformed my patio and understanding of these creatures’ vital role in our ecosystem.

Julia, SPES’s Public Environmental Education Coordinator and member of the Native Bee Society of British Columbia, has always loved bees. She calls bumble bees her “gateway bee” after studying them in a biodiversity monitoring program with UBC Farm and looking at bumble bee diversity at blueberry farms across the Fraser Valley.

Most of us recall the European honey bee when thinking about “saving the bees.”  

While honey bees have become established for their economic importance in industrial North American food systems, Julia says, ” This ignores the fact that native bees are generally more efficient and resilient pollinators.” 

The native yellow-faced bumble bee is a buzz pollinator that uses wing vibration to release the stuck-together pollen of crops like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. These chunky bees are tanks and can tolerate rainier and colder weather — ideal for BC. 

Studies from the Fraser-Fort George and Bulkley-Nechako regions indicate that yield quality and quantity, even for crops that do not require animal pollination, are typically higher in areas with more abundant native pollinator biodiversity. Native hoverfly pollinators, for example, are critical for agricultural systems in BC. 

Beyond the humble bumble bee, other native bees are crucial for native biodiversity. They have co-evolved with native plants over millions of years. Some are highly specialized to exclusively visit and pollinate certain plant species in a symbiotic relationship. 

Native pollinators are so important that we rely on them for 75-95% of all flowering plants. Despite this, they are at greater risk than money-making honey bees, as they are understudied, often misunderstood, and not directly cared for by humans. 

One common misconception is the fear of bee stings. Julia reassured me that native bees are less inclined to sting than European honey bees because 90% of native bees are solitary, meaning they live in small nests tended to by a single female. Because they lack the hive-mind mentality, they are less inclined to sting. However, we should always exercise caution around all bees, remaining calm and respectful. 

On the native pollinator walk organized by the SPES, Julia introduced us to many of our native bees, sharing facts about their ecological roles, behaviors, life cycles, and the importance of having year-round cycles of pollinators. 

We met a few of these bees up close and learned about their connection to Stanley Park and BC. Let’s get to know some of the native bees and pollinators in BC.

Native Bees and Pollinators of British Columbia

Striped Sweat Bees Agapostemon spp.

When asked to choose one native bee species here in BC to introduce to my readers, Julia picked the sweat bee.

“Did you know bees aren’t just yellow and black, but we even have green and blue bees? A crowd favorite is the genus Agapostemon, the tiny metallic green sweat bees often gathering pollen from dandelion flowers.” 

The females gather pollen on their legs in what is fashionably called pollen pants!

Most sweat bees are named as such because they are attracted to the salt in human sweat, but this genus is an exception and sticks to flowers.

Sweat bees nest in the ground, and, in some species, multiple females will use the same entrance but will each burrow into its own chamber. Females build a pollen ball to lay their eggs.

They are short-tongued generalists and rely on shallow flowers.

Yellow-faced Bumble Bee Bombus vosnesenskii

If you see a large, nearly all-black bumble bee with a yellow face on plants like the native Oregon grape, it is likely a yellow-faced bumble bee. As one of the few BC bees with queens and colonies, they fill their pollen baskets on the tibia of their hind legs to feed themselves and their colony with pollen and nectar. 

Over winter, the queens eat pollen to fatten up, holding onto sperm until they emerge and find a suitable place in the ground, such as a rodent den, to lay their eggs and start a colony. Soon, the first generation is born, and workers help the queen build the colony over a year. Eventually, new queens are born and set out to start their own colonies.

Our native bumble bees enjoy diverse plants and pollen-rich flowers. They are known to travel long distances to obtain a selection of various pollens. They enjoy native lupines, phacelia, clarkia, ericaceae, Oregon grape and salmonberry blooms.

Blue Orchard Mason Bee Osmia lignaria

These tiny bees have a metallic bluish-green body with a back tuft. Like all mason bees, they are solitary and have hairy bellies. You can spot the female with bright yellow pollen clinging to their hairy underside. 

Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other “masonry” products in constructing their nests. Orchard mason bees have complex nesting habits. They arrange their nests with individual mud partitions, laying one egg per partition. Females spend the entire day making up to 25 trips, consisting of about 75 stops at individual flowers, to collect resources for their nests.

Mason bees are critical pollinators for Canada’s early spring blooms in fruit orchards. Cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, and other fruits in the Okanagan region rely on these bees to keep their fruit production going.

They require hollow tubes or stocks for brooding, which in nature would be dead, dried plant stalks. However, to save these bees and their essential relationship with fruit agriculture, human-made bee tubes with individual slots are now standard practice in many gardens and farms. These tubes must be maintained; if they are not adequately cleaned yearly, they can contribute to disease and parasites. 

Mason bees are temperature-sensitive, and females emerge in spring at 14°c. On cool spring mornings, they bake in the sun to warm up before starting their day.

Leafcutter Bees Megachile spp.

Leafcutters share many qualities with mason bees. They are solitary and prefer to lay their eggs in individual tubes or stalks.

As their name indicates, they cut circular chunks from the edge of plants’ leaves like wild roses. Do not be alarmed if you see this in your garden! They only cut for a few weeks, using the leaves to line their nests. 

They are known summer pollinators and frequent those bright summer blooms., but they are also crucial in spring. Leafcutter bees are part of a group of at least 21 bees that are critical for native willow tree pollination. As soon as you see pussy willows start to bloom, you know those bees are hard at work!

Other pollinators in BC

British Columbia has many beautiful native butterflies, including the Western and Canadian tiger swallowtails. Along with Pacific orange tips and the painted lady, these butterflies love flowers like black-eyed Susans, asters, and arnica.

Hummingbirds are another fantastic pollinator, and here in British Columbia, we have our charming Anna’s hummingbird, which is active year round, even in the winter months. Planting “Hummingbirds Lunch” in a place easy for them to access is a great way to feed those hummingbirds without constantly changing your feeder while supporting native pollinators.

• Hoverflies are essential pollinators; you’ll notice these tiny bee-like insects ‘hovering’ over your flowers. 
• Most wasps are omnivores and require high-energy food like nectar. They are great for pollination and pest control.
• Beetles are attracted to the flowers of the parsley and celery plants and play a role in their life cycle.
• Snails can even pollinate by frequently stopping for snacks; pollen gets stuck on and transferred by their slimy bodies. They also aid in the reproduction of ferns.

Threats and State of the Bee-union

During the native bee tour of Stanley Park, we learned about the most pressing threats to our native bees.

Habitat loss occurs when native spaces are reduced, making way for agriculture, urban developers, and landscapers who use non-native plants. As we develop more urban spaces, we must find ways to support pollinators by hosting native plants and biodiversity. 

Pesticides are used privately and industrially to control unwanted plants, insects, rodents, and diseases. During the blooming period, if pesticides get on pollen, they transfer to and kill pollinators. Therefore, it is imperative to use biodynamic and organic practices and carefully apply pesticides, considering bloom cycles.  

Invasive non-native species are introduced plants that don’t always support our native pollinators. Native pollinators have adapted to support specific native plants in the region with pollination. Replacing unique plants with aggressive and competitive generalist plants can impact the diversity of our specialist pollinators. 

Climate change is a broad category that impacts many things that threaten pollinators. Most bees are sensitive to temperature changes, and increased heat can affect breeding and life-cycle, native plant availability, water security, diseases, and mortality. 

Bee the Hero – Take Action to Save Native Bees

After our native pollinator walk, we visited one of Metro Vancouver’s pollinator-friendly gardens. While we oohed and aahed at sleeping bumble bees, Julia left our group with actionable steps to support native pollinator diversity.  

Speak up for pollinators

Julia says, “With habitat loss a top risk to native bees, speaking up to bolster and support conservation and protection of local ecosystems, including advocating for Indigenous land stewardship, is one of the best things we can do.” 

To get started, look up local conservation initiatives and development proposals in your community. Consider attending a public hearing or writing to your local representatives to ask how they could include space for native pollinators.

Beyond that, talk to your friends about native pollinators. The more we spread awareness among our friends— whether they have balcony flower pots, patios with flower boxes, or community gardens— the more we give our buzzing neighbors a fighting chance. 

Plant diverse flowers and pollinator-friendly plants

One of the most important things I learned from my pollinator walk was the necessity of planting diverse plants. When thinking about what to grow in your garden, you’ll want a range of plants, from early spring bulbs and flowers to bold summer colors, lingering autumn blooms, and even winter plants for those flies!

Bees have unique methods of collecting pollen, body shape and size, and tongue length, so you’ll want to host a variety of plants of different shapes, colors, and depths. 

Visit the David Suzuki Foundation and navigate the map highlighting native plants in your region and their blooming season.

However, mind your invasives

Gardens are sources of invasive plants spreading in our vulnerable ecosystems. Here in British Columbia, invasive plants like Scotch Broom are highly aggressive, competitive, and flammable, which contributes to increasing severity and intensity of our forest fires. While more generalist bees pollinate these invasive plants, many native bees are not suited to pollinate invasives. This causes both our native plant biodiversity and native bee populations to decline.

Planting native plants is not always practical based on your space and availability; however, you do not want to host invasive plants. I always say plant native, local, pollinator-friendly plants first, then look for non-invasive options.

BC Invasive Species Control has a great resource called “plant this instead.” If you want a tall, colorful stalk plant, go for an Arctic lupine instead of the invasive foxglove. Visit their website to learn more!

Embrace lazy gardening and avoid pesticides

Allow room for your garden to find its natural rhythm, leaving your grass longer and allowing the occasional weed to bloom and wildflowers to take over.

Consider leaving a light covering of leaf litter over it. This adds nutrients, and many pollinators rely on the warm insulation to overwinter under the litter. 

Embrace those holes in your flower leaves that leafcutter bees might use to build nests. 

While some pests may need to be managed, avoid pesticides and embrace slow and thoughtful gardening that challenges your preconceived notions of a successful garden.

Since 70% of BC native bees nest in loose soil, sand, or burrows, avoid tilling and compacting your soil.

If you have raspberries, elderberries, or native yarrow in your yard, once they die, allow the stalks to remain. Solitary bees such as mason bees may turn these into a home! 

Finally, if you have a lawn, mow less often or raise the cutting height to allow the occasional weed to bloom.  

Support local organic farmers

Buying local produce is a tremendous way to help our native pollinators. Many farms in BC do their best to support native bee populations. By buying BC fresh products, you’re helping our local agricultural economy and ecology.

Get involved

Take a hands-on approach and get involved in bee conservation. Look to your local community for workshops that host projects like building bee hotels or educational events. 

The Stanley Park Ecology Society hosts educational bee events like the one I attended, and I bet your local ecology center does, too!

If you have the financial means, you can donate to the Native Bee Society of British Columbia’s efforts to research, protect, and spread awareness for native bee conservation. 

Another way to stay engaged is by sharing sightings of bumble bees. Contribute to data collection and sightings across North America with the bumble bee watch.

Looking for more tips and actions to support native bees in your garden and beyond?

Visit our dedicated post with 10 tips for supporting native bees in British Columbia and beyond.

Comment and Share!

Thanks to Julia Taylor and the Stanley Park Ecology Society for helping educate our readers about British Columbia’s native bees and pollinators. 

Leave a comment with your favorite native bee, gardening success, or anything you struggle with. Happy planting!