Long-term studies of bee social behaviour, ecology, and evolution

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Bees are fascinating animals whose life styles have important consequences for humans. In our lab, we study several aspects of bee behaviour and ecology. Since 2003, our research has focussed on the more than 150 bee species found in the Niagara region of southern Ontario. A few of these bees are well known to residents of southern Ontario, but most of them are part of Niagara's “hidden bee fauna”, living unnoticed right under people's noses. The first part of our research focusses on the social behaviour of bees of different kinds, in particular the carpenter bees and sweat bees. We study these types of bees, because females can breed solitarily or socially. Solitary females raise their offspring by themselves, and most bees are of this type. Social bees sometimes or always live in groups, with some females helping others to raise their offspring. We are studying the processes that influence whether females become queen-like, dominant individuals that exploit their helpers, or worker-like, subordinates that help others instead of raising their own offspring. Our studies are based on behavioural observations of individually marked females and males and on genetic analyses for understanding which individuals breed and which do not. We are also using genetic methods to understand the genetic changes that take place within the brains of female bees, as they become queens or workers. The second part of our research focusses on monitoring bee communities in three former landfill sites across Niagara since 2003. The closure of landfill sites and their subsequent restoration as parks is an open invitation to plants and wildlife to move back into habitat from which they had been eradicated. Our studies demonstrate that bees quickly recolonize restored landfills, and this is good news. However, our studies also suggest that after the initial recovery, bee populations in our sites are declining. We think this is due to a combination of periodic droughts and increasing urbanization of meadows near our sites. Drought limits bee reproduction because drought-stricken plants do not produce much pollen or nectar. Urbanization limits bee reproduction when "empty” fields full of wildflowers are bulldozed and replaced with housing developments. However, the declines in bee abundance at our research sites could be temporary effects. For instance, if gardens are planted in new suburbs, these will help to replace the food resources lost when meadows were replaced. Our research is important to all Canadians, because the more we understand about bees, the better we will be able to conserve them and their critical roles in natural, agricultural, and urban settings. On the practical side, the research skills that students learn in our lab are applicable to many types of work in and out of universities. And as much as we can, we share our knowledge and skills with the wider community who share our enthusiasm and interest in bees.