Current Projects

Examining the effects of urban park management on wild bees

We are currently studying the effects of mowing and management practices on wild bees in Metro Vancouver parks. To do this, we are comparing the plant and bee communities in 10 parks that are regularly mowed versus 10 parks that contain un-mowed, semi-natural spaces. To better monitor individual bee health in these environments, we are also tracking survival and reproductive output of wild bees that are nesting in pots of soil and open cavities that have been placed in protected enclosures at each park. By recording bee-plant interactions and by collecting pollen samples from bees in these parks, we will additionally examine the effects of park management on the network of relationships between plant and pollinator communities. Our overall goal is to discover the role of urban land management schemes on wild bee populations and their community dynamics.