BEES BEES BEES!!

We are so excited to be adding BEES to the educational component of our community garden!
Rather than honeybees (which are disallowed on City properties), we are turning our attention to MASON BEES and BUMBLEBEES! Oh my goodness, we are so excited to be supporting these more indigenous species!!

Mason bees aren’t entirely indigenous to Calgary. So we purchased some Mason Bee housing and ordered some cocoons through The Wild Bird Store and took the Mason Bee training that they offer as well. On Friday, May 12, 2023 we released our 20 Mason Bee cocoons into the wild. Within hours they began emerging as fully functioning bees and set out to establish the next generation!!

Bumblebees are totally indigenous to Calgary and they have fuzzy little fur coats to prove it!! On Sunday, April 23, 2023, we installed three Bumblebee nests at the Renfrew Community Garden. They are hiding nearly completely underground because Bumblebees love cool, humid conditions. The nests are in place… and now we wait to see if any Bumblebees move in. Walk around to try to find these mostly hidden nests!!