Bee Campus

Exploring academic, engagement, daily operational and administrative practices to make campus more pollinator-friendly.

UCalgary is a Bee City Canada Campus

UCalgary received its Bee Campus designation from Bee City Campus in February 2020. Read the application below.

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Environmental Stewardship

Adaptive and native plant species incorporated throughout the campus environment improve, maintain and create new habitat for pollinators. Use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides is prohibited in the Community Garden, protecting ecosystem and pollinator health.

Awareness and Engagement

Garden orientations, pollinator celebrations and online resources increase awareness about the importance of pollinator conservation. Programs engage the campus and broader community to learn more about pollinators and the various roles they play in local and global food sustainability.

Education

The Department of Biological Sciences researches bees and other beneficial insects to promote conservation on agricultural and urban landscapes. Campus as a Learning lab offers the potential for experiential learning opportunities to explore ways to improve pollinator habitat on campus

Bee Media

The University of Calgary is committed to creating and enhancing our pollinator habitat on campus. Lean more about how we achieved our Bee City Canada campus designation and how you can support pollinators in your community.

Bee-coming a Bee Campus Webinar Bee City Canada Profile Video

Pollinator Programs

Bee a Citizen Scientist

Researchers at UCalgary are interested in gaining understanding of the species diversity and abundance of pollinators supported by different flowering plants. Learn how you can get involved and bee-come a citizen scientist!

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Campus as a Learning Lab

Interested in improving our campus environment to better support pollinators? Conduct your own experiential research through UCalgary's Campus as a Learning Lab.

Pollinate a project

Community Garden

UCalgary's Community Garden utilizes pesticide-free food to support pollinator health, sustainable food systems and healthy eating. Anyone can join the Community Garden Club to begin harvesting the benefits of local eating.

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Local Buzz

You can 'bee' the change during Pollinator Week: Celebrate bees, butterflies and other unsung heroes June 22-28 UCalgary named a Bee Campus for bee-ing stewards of our landscape It might be winter but Calgary is Canada's newest Bee City From birds to bees, U of C celebrates role pollinators play in biodiverse communities Digital bee collection launched at University of Calgary Come to the garden June 19: Make a bee box, take photos, plant something pollinators will love Grad student solves bee homelessness one ceramic sculpture at a time

Beesources

Beesearch

Digital Bee Collection

Thanks to a collaborative project between the Faculty of Science and Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR), a digital collection of native Albertan bee species is now available to researchers and bee lovers across the globe. The invertebrate collection consists of approximately 1.45 million insect specimens and counting. This initial digital collection represents bee specimens from species native to Alberta, collected by the Galpern Lab @ Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary.

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Mindi Summers

As humans continue to modify natural landscapes, gardens are becoming increasingly important habitats for pollinators in urban environments. Join us to learn more about the importance of pollinator conservation and how plant selection and garden maintenance practices influence pollinator survival, abundance, and diversity in cities.

Dr. Mindi Summers (Associate Professor (Teaching), Dept. of Biological Sciences, UCalgary) discusses pollinator diversity and what we know about how urban landscapes can support pollinator conservation.

Jennifer Hoglin (Master Gardener & Lead Designer, Gooseberry Gardens) describes how you can enhance the attractiveness and usefulness of your garden to pollinators, and thereby contribute to their conservation.