{"id":15509,"date":"2025-05-13T17:08:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/?p=15509"},"modified":"2025-05-13T17:22:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:22:54","slug":"help-the-bumblebees-in-your-backyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/help-the-bumblebees-in-your-backyard\/","title":{"rendered":"Help the Bumblebees in Your Backyard"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bumblebee-friendly Yard Checklist<\/h2>\n

Bumblebees might be the most recognizable bees in the world \u2013 and we\u2019re lucky to have 41 species buzzing around Canada. Sadly 28 per cent of the North American bumblebee species are at risk. The good news? You can absolutely help them thrive, starting right in your own backyard.<\/p>\n

Give Them Something to Eat<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Bumblebees are early risers and late bloomers \u2013 they start buzzing in early spring and keep working right into the fall. That means they need a steady supply of food throughout these seasons. Planting a variety of flowers ensures these bees always have something to munch on. Try these Canadian native bloomers:<\/p>\n

Spring: foamflower, Virginia Bluebells, Dutchman\u2019s Breeches, Wild Hyacinth, native willows,
\nEarly Summer: native columbines, Wild Bergamot, native milkweeds, wild roses, Gray-head Prairie Coneflower
\nLate Summer: goldenrods (Canada Goldenrod is great but there are other native species across the country that are attractive and do not spread quickly), Joe-pye Weed, native perennial sunflowers, Purple Prairie-clover,
\nFall: native asters, Virginia Meadow Beauty, Whiteflower Leafcup, Obedient Plant<\/p>\n

Give Them Somewhere to Nest<\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

Bumblebees don\u2019t build hives like honeybees \u2013 they look for cozy, ready-made spots. In the spring, the queen will find a new nest. She might look for an abandoned small mammal\u2019s burrows below ground. Above ground she\u2019ll seek out hollow trees, rock walls or even an abandoned bird nest. Her nest might grow to be between 50 to 200 bees strong. So be sure to leave these natural nooks undisturbed to help her settle in.<\/p>\n

Give Them a Place to Overwinter<\/h3>\n


\nWhen summer fades, the whole colony dies off \u2013 except for the newly mated queens, who tuck in for the winter under leaf litter or brush piles. Want to give her a safe place to snooze? Leave fallen leaves alone and create a brush pile of clippings or woody plant material.<\/p>\n

Ditch Pesticides<\/h3>\n


\nPesticides are a major threat to pollinators, and bumblebees are no exception. Whether it\u2019s through direct contact, contaminated pollen, or polluted nesting spots, these chemicals can wreak havoc on bumblebee populations. That includes areas like weedy field edges, brush piles, or even your flower garden. To keep bees safe, choose natural pest control methods and avoid buying plants that have been sprayed with neonics.<\/p>\n

Help Scientists by Snapping Photos of Bumblebees<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Love watching bumblebees as they buzz from one bloom to another? Turn your observations into valuable data for scientists! By snapping photos and uploading them to iNaturalist Canada, you can help researchers track various bumblebee species and better understand their preferred habitats. It\u2019s as simple as downloading the iNaturalist app or visiting iNaturalist.ca to share your sightings.<\/p>\n

Helpful tip: When you\u2019re taking a picture of a bee<\/a>, try to take lots of photos close up and from different angles. Try to snap a photo of their back and don\u2019t forget to showcase the flowers they\u2019re visiting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bumblebee-friendly Yard Checklist Bumblebees might be the most recognizable bees in the world \u2013 and we\u2019re lucky to have 41 species buzzing around Canada. Sadly 28 per cent of…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":15515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[631],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connect-with-nature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15509"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15513,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15509\/revisions\/15513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}