Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BUMBLE BEE NESTING BOX

Date Range From

1965

Date Range To

2021

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

16.0

Length

24.0

Width

15.3

Description

HANDMADE WOODEN BUMBLE BEE NESTING BOX PAINTED WHITE. METAL PLATE NAILED ONTO LEFT SIDE OF BOX, EMBOSSED “80.” FRONT OF BOX HAS THREE DRILLED HOLES, TOP TWO HOLES ARE COVERED WITH MESH, LOWER HOLE HAS A WOODEN PERCH UNDERNEATH, METAL EYELET SCREW IS SCREWED BELOW MESH. LID HAS A METAL EYELET SCREW SCREWED INTO OVERHANG WITH HOOK ATTACHED TO SECURE LID TO BODY OF BOX ON FRONT, LID IS CONNECTED TO BODY WITH A METAL HINGE ON BACK OF BOX. TWO METAL EYELET SCREWS ARE SCREWED UNDERNEATH HINGE NEAR SIDES OF BOX. TWO HOLES ARE DRILLED VERTICALLY IN BETWEEN THE EYELET SCREWS. PAINT IS FADED AND CHIPPED THROUGHOUT BOX, HARDWARE IS PAINTED OVER WITH WHITE PAINT, HARDWARE IS RUSTED WHERE PAINT CHIPPED OFF, METAL STAPLES ALONG CORNERS OF BOX ARE RUSTED, INSIDE OF BOX IS FILLED WITH DUST, FLUFF, AND SPIDER WEBBING. OVERALL FAIR CONDITION.

Subjects

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY T&E

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

EDUCATION

AGRICULTURE

History

ON NOVEMBER 3, 2021, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN, KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED MEGAN EVANS ABOUT THE ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL’S DONATION OF A BEE BOX. ON HOW THE ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL CAME INTO POSSESSION OF THE BEE BOXES AND ON THE BEE BOX’S FUNCTION, EVANS EXPLAINED: ““…SHELLEY HUBER, WHO IS A HONEY BEE RESEARCHER AT THE LETHBRIDGE RESEARCH CENTER IN LETHBRIDGE (ALBERTA), WAS IN TOUCH WITH WELDON HOBBS, WHO HAD A PALETTE OF THESE [BEE BOXES], AND HE DIDN’T WANT THEM, SO HE WAS, BASICALLY, GOING TO TAKE THEM TO THE DUMP. AND [HUBER] GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME, AT THE ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL, AND ASKED IF [THE COUNCIL] WANTED THEM. AND, I SAID, ‘YES,’ SO SHELLEY WAS ABLE TO TRANSFER THE PALETTE OF BUMBLE BEE BOXES TO [ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL]. THE REASON WHY WELDON HOBBS HAD [THE BEE BOXES] WAS BECAUSE HIS FATHER, GORDON HOBBS, WAS A RESEARCHER AT THE LETHBRIDGE RESEARCH CENTER AS WELL… GORDON HOBBS, AND KEN RICHARDS […] WERE VERY INVOLVED IN BUMBLE BEE RESEARCH IN THE 60’S, AND 70’S, AND THEY USED THESE BUMBLE BEE BOXES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND BUMBLE BEE NESTING PREFERENCES. AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL FOR UTILIZING BUMBLE BEES FOR USE AS POLLINATORS IN AGRICULTURAL AREAS. SO, [HOBBS AND RICHARDS] BUILT ALL [OF] THESE BEAUTIFUL BUMBLE BEE BOXES, AND THEY DEPLOYED THEM FOR RESEARCH OVER MANY YEARS… [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] WERE REALLY PIONEERS IN [THE] BUMBLE BEE BOX, AND BUMBLE BEE NESTING PREFERENCE RESEARCH… THEY TAUGHT US A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE CURRENTLY KNOW ABOUT BUMBLE BEES AND HOW THEY NEST, CERTAINLY IN ALBERTA, BUT ALSO WITH GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE AS WELL.” EVANS NOTED: “…WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE BUMBLE BEE BOXES, WE CALL THEM ‘DOMICILES’ SO THEY ARE ‘ARTIFICIAL DOMICILES.” EVANS EXPANDED UPON RICHARDS AND HOBBS RESEARCH USING BEE BOXES: “…IT DEPENDED ON WHAT YEAR [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] WERE RESEARCHING, AND WHAT QUESTIONS THEY WERE AFTER, IN THAT PARTICULAR YEAR… [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] DID WORK INTO THE PARKLAND, I BELIEVE. THEY DID A LOT OF WORK IN STAVELY; WORK ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES; WORK IN AGRICULTURAL AREAS. A LOT OF [RICHARDS AND HOBB’S] WORK WAS IN THE LETHBRIDGE AREA, AND IN WATERTON, AS WELL… THEY DEPLOYED THESE [BEE BOXES] LOOKING AT HABITAT PREFERENCES, SO, [HABITAT] IN [A] WOODED AREA, VERSUS OPEN AREAS VERSUS CROP AREAS. AND THEN, AGAIN, THEY USED THE BUMBLE BEE BOXES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE, AND HOW BUMBLE BEES NEST… IF THEY NEST ABOVE THE GROUND, OR ON THE GROUND, OR BELOW THE GROUND, SO JUST REALLY ANSWERING SOME FUNDAMENTAL BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT BUMBLE BEES ARE WHERE; WHERE ARE THEY NESTING;… WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE MICRO-NEST SELECTION HABITATS….” EVANS REITERATED: “…[RICHARDS AND HOBBS] WERE ALSO LOOKING AT THE APPLIED RESEARCH OF LOOKING AT UTILIZING BUMBLE BEES [AGRICULTURALLY] AND RELOCATING COLONIES FOR CROP POLLINATION AS WELL. SO, OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO SOLVE SOME AGRICULTURAL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS, THROUGH THEIR RESEARCH AS WELL.” ON HOW RICHARDS AND HOBBS CREATED THE BEE BOXES ORIGINALLY, EVANS DESCRIBED: “…SO THERE WAS SOME PEOPLE ACTIVE, I WANT TO SAY IN THE EARLY 1900’S, [THEN] A BIT OF A GAP, AND THEN HOBBS AND RICHARDS STARTED USING THESE BEE BOXES AGAIN. [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] DO TALK A LOT ABOUT THE DESIGN [OF THE BEE BOXES] IN ONE OF THE PAPERS, AND HOW THEY INITIALLY USED OLD MICE NESTS. SO, EVERY TIME [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] BUILT A BUMBLE BEE BOX, THEY WOULD TAKE THE CONTENTS FROM A MICE NEST AND PUT IT IN [THE BEE BOX]… BECAUSE BUMBLE BEES NATURALLY, IN THE WILD, NEST IN OLD MICE NESTS. SO, [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS SOME SORT OF ATTRACTANT THERE. AND THEN [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] REALIZED, ‘OH, NO, THEY JUST LIKE THESE CAVITIES’… BUT THAT’S WHY WE STUFF THEM WITH THE COTTON, BECAUSE [BUMBLE BEES] LIKE HAVING THINGS TO BED DOWN IN, AND YOU WOULD OFTEN FIND A SUBSTRATE LIKE THAT IN A MOUSE NEST. THEY ALSO PUT (NOT THE BOX THAT YOU HAVE, BUT SOME OF THE [OTHER BEE BOXES] HAVE) DIFFERENT SCREENS, AND THINGS, ON THEM BECAUSE RODENTS […] WILL TRY TO GET IN [THE BEE BOX], AND THEY’LL GNAW AT THE FRONT OF THE BOX. SO [RICHARDS AND HOBBS] TRIED OUT DIFFERENT DESIGN MEASURES/DIFFERENT HOLE DIAMETERS FOR THE ENTRANCE HOLE… TO MAKE SURE THAT BUMBLE BEES WOULD NEST IN [THE BOXES], BUT OTHER THINGS WOULDN’T [GET IN] AND GET AT [THE BEES]…” EVANS CONTINUED ON WHAT SECONDARY RESEARCH RESULTS HAPPENED FOR RICHARDS AND HOBBS BY USING THE BEE BOXES: “…THEY ALSO LEARNED A LOT ABOUT [ANIMALS] THAT LIKE TO EAT BUMBLE BEE NESTS, LIKE SKUNKS... THEY’LL GET IN THERE, AND, I DON’T KNOW WHAT SKUNKS EAT, (I DON’T KNOW IF THEY ARE AFTER THE LARVAE, OR THE HONEY… OR THE WAXY COMB, THE NEST CELLS THEMSELVES) BUT SKUNKS WILL GET IN [THE BUMBLE BEE NESTS]. BEARS ARE A PROBLEM, AS WELL. THEY ALSO LOOKED AT OTHER THINGS THAT LIVE IN [BUMBLE BEE NESTS], LIKE WAX-WORMS… THEY DON’T REALLY SEEM TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE BEES THEMSELVES, BUT, ONCE THE BEE COLONY HAS DIED OFF FOR THE YEAR, IN THE FALL, THE WAX-WORMS WILL COME IN, AND KIND OF DECIMATE THE WAXY CELLS. THAT’S WHAT THEY’LL EAT IS THE DETRITUS… THEY ALSO LOOKED AT SUCCESS [RATES]. SO, A LOT OF TIMES THE BUMBLE BEE QUEENS WILL COME IN, AND START TO BUILD HER NEST, AND THEN SHE DOESN’T MAKE IT FOR WHATEVER REASON. THEY’LL FIND OTHER QUEENS, OF OTHER SPECIES, IN [THE BUMBLE BEE NESTS] SOMETIMES, WHO TRY TO GET IN; ESPECIALLY THE PSITHYRUS, WHICH ARE A SUB-GENUS OF BUMBLE BEES. THEY ARE NEST PARASITES, SO THEY EMERGE A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE SEASON, AND THEY WILL GO, SEEK OUT ESTABLISHED BUMBLE BEE NESTS, AND […] FIGHT THE EXISTING QUEEN TO THE DEATH, AND MAKE THE WORKERS REAR HER OFF-SPRING. SO, THEY WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE PREVALENCE OF PSITHYRUS, AND HOW OFTEN [PSITHYRUS’] WERE ABLE TO USURP, AND SUCCESSFULLY INVADE THOSE [BUMBLE BEE] COLONIES.” EVANS EXPLAINED HOW THE ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL UTILIZED THE BEE BOXES ONCE THE COUNCIL CAME INTO POSSESSION OF THE BOXES: “…IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO, BECAUSE WE RECEIVED LIKE OVER 100 OF THESE [BEE] BOXES… WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO WITH [THE BEE BOXES] IS LEND THEM OUT TO RESEARCHERS FOR THEIR WORK, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR TWO REASONS… IT’S REALLY LABOR-INTENSIVE, AND COSTLY (THE PRICE OF LUMBER IN RECENT YEARS)… TO PRODUCE THESE BUMBLE BEE BOXES, AND RESEARCHERS DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TIME, ESPECIALLY GRADUATE STUDENTS... ALSO, BUMBLE BEES DON’T LOVE FRESH BUMBLE BEE BOXES. SO, IF YOU GO GET BEAUTIFUL WOOD, AND BUILD ALL THESE [NEW] BUMBLE BEE BOXES, WE FIND THAT THERE IS LOWER COLONIZATION RATES ON THE FRESH BOXES THAN IN THESE OLD GROSS [BEE BOXES]. SO, THERE’S A TON OF VALUE IN THESE OLD BUMBLE BEE BOXES, AND KEEPING THEM IN THE ROTATION, AND LENDING THEM OUT TO RESEARCHERS. SO, NOW, WE HAVE LENT [BEE BOXES] OUT TO TWO DIFFERENT RESEARCHERS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WHICH, AGAIN, IS A HUGE BENEFIT TO THEM, AND THEIR RESEARCH. AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT INTO THE FUTURE…” EVANS EXPANDED UPON THE RESEARCH AND MONITORING PROGRAM RAN BY THE ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL UTILIZING BEE BOXES: “…IN 2018, WE FORMALIZED A CITIZEN SCIENCE BUMBLE BEE MONITORING PROGRAM, WHERE [THE ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL] WOULD HOST WORKSHOPS, AND WE WOULD SHOW UP WITH… ALL OF THE PIECES, [AND] PEOPLE WOULD NEED TO ASSEMBLE A BUMBLE BEE BOX. WE WOULD […] EXPLAIN THE LIFE CYCLE, AND HOW IT ALL WORKS – AND THEN WE’D GET TOGETHER, AND HAVE THE INDIVIDUALS BUILD THEIR BOXES TO TAKE HOME, AND/OR FOLKS COULD JUST BUILD A BUMBLE BEE BOX ON THEIR OWN (THERE ARE INSTRUCTIONS TO [BUILD A BEE BOX] ON OUR WEBSITE). SO, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS PEOPLE GET THEIR HANDS ON BUMBLE BEE BOXES, BUT THE POINT OF [THE PROGRAM] WAS THAT [PEOPLE] WOULD PUT [A BEE BOX] OUT IN THEIR YARDS, AND THEN REPORT BACK ANNUALLY ON ACTIVITY. WE HAVE A REPORTING FORM ON OUR WEBSITE (IT’S REALLY QUITE EASY). THEN WE COLLECT THOSE DATA; THEN WE USE THOSE DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND BUMBLE BEE NESTING PREFERENCES, [SUCH AS] WHERE THEY ARE [HABITUATING]. AND, THE CITIZEN’S SCIENCE PROGRAM NOT ONLY HELPS US BETTER UNDERSTAND BUMBLE BEES, BUT ALSO IT PROVIDES HABITAT FOR [BUMBLE BEES] IN URBAN AREAS, WHICH CAN BE REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL. SO, IT’S KIND OF LIKE A DOUBLE WHAMMY. IT CREATES AWARENESS; IT IMPROVES PEOPLE’S UNDERSTANDING OF BUMBLE BEES, AND WHERE, AND HOW THEY NEST; IT CREATES HABITAT FOR THEM; AND ALSO, WHEN THEY REPORT BACK, IT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESS BETTER, AS WELL. AND THEN, IN SOME CASES, WE’LL SHARE THAT [CITIZEN’S SCIENCE PROGRAM] DATA WITH RESEARCHERS AS WELL, WHO ARE RESEARCHING THE SAME TOPIC. SO, IT’S WIN – WIN – WIN ALL AROUND… [ALBERTA NATIVE BEE COUNCIL HAS ] BEEN DEALING, AND DABBLING IN BUMBLE BEE BOXES FOR A WHILE, AND SO THEN WE JUST GOT THIS BIG PALETTE OF BUMBLE BEE BOXES, WE SAW THIS OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE THOSE IN A DIFFERENT WAY… [EVANS AND OTHER RESEARCHERS] SAW, EARLY-ON, HOW INTERESTED THE PUBLIC WAS IN HAVING THESE THINGS. PEOPLE HAVE BIRD HOUSES. WHY NOT HAVE A BUMBLE BEE HOUSE…” EVANS COMMENTED: “…FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THE VALUE IN UTILIZING THE BUMBLE BEE BOXES ISN’T JUST RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND BUMBLE BEE ECOLOGY BETTER, BUT ALSO IN CONSERVATION, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT SPECIES ARE WHERE, AND HOW WE ARE DOING, AND THOSE ARE NOT ALWAYS THE PRIORITIES OF GOVERNMENTS, AND AGENCIES, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.” ON THE PLACEMENT OF BUMBLE BEE BOXES, EVANS NOTED: “…SOME BUMBLE BEE SPECIES ARE REALLY SPECIFIC WITH REGARD TO WHERE THEY NEST, AND SOME [BEE SPECIES] DON’T CARE…” EVANS SPOKE ON THE COMPARISON OF PAST AND PRESENT RESEARCH COMPLETED USING BEE BOXES: “…THERE IS A LOT OF BUMBLE BEE BOX RESEARCH THAT WAS RECENTLY DONE IN THE U.K., AND IN EUROPE, AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD – AND THEY FOUND REALLY LOW COLONIZATION RATES, LIKE 4%, OR SOMETHING. REALLY YOU CAN’T RESEARCH WITH THESE NUMBERS – IT’S JUST TOO LOW. BUT HERE [IN ALBERTA], WITH DR. RALPH CARTER, (WHO IS MY MASTER’S SUPERVISOR), ALEXANDRIA FARMER’S WORK, AND HOBBS,’ AND RICHARDS’ WORK, THEY DID FIND AROUND 30% WAS AN AVERAGE COLONIZATION RATE. BUT WE GET LOTS OF VARIABILITY IN THERE AS WELL, SO, SOMETIMES YOU GET WAY MORE [COLONIZATION] THAN THAT; SOMETIMES YOU GET LESS [COLONIZATION]. SO, THERE IS STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS, BUT WE DO KNOW SOME THINGS… ANECDOTALLY WE HAVE SEEN THAT WE HAVE HIGHER CONCENTRATIONS [OF COLONIZATION] IN URBAN AREAS THAN IN RURAL AREAS…” ON WHY THE NESTING RESULTS VARY, EVANS CLARIFIED: “…NESTING RESOURCES. SO, WE THINK THAT THERE ARE FEWER NATURAL NESTING RESOURCES IN CITIES, BECAUSE THERE’S FEWER GOPHER HOLES, FEWER RODENT HOLES… SO, THESE BEES, WHEN THEY FIND THIS BOX, IT’S LIKE ‘YEAH. I’VE HIT THE JACKPOT. LOOK AT THIS PERFECT HOUSE FOR ME’...” EVANS CONTINUED: “…CERTAINLY OTHER RESEARCHERS HAVE SPECULATED ON THIS [NESTING RESULT] AS WELL – THAT THERE ARE FEWER NATURAL NESTING RESOURCES IN THESE URBAN AREAS, SO BUMBLE BEES MORE READILY UPTAKE AND UTILIZE THOSE ARTIFICIAL DOMICILES, AND BUMBLE BEE BOXES IN THOSE [URBAN] AREAS THAN THEY WILL HERE [IN ALBERTA], BECAUSE WE ARE SURROUNDED BY ALL THEIR NATURAL HABITAT, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHAT [BUMBLE BEES] ARE GOING TO PREFER. SO THAT’S A GREAT THING PEOPLE CAN DO, THESE [BEE BOXES], PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY USE TO SUPPLEMENT [BUMBLE BEE] HABITAT IN URBAN AREAS MORE SO. BUT, IF YOU ARE OUT ON A FARM, OR RANCH SOMEWHERE, WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STILL PUT THEIR BUMBLE BEE BOXES OUT THERE, AND TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR STUDY (OUR CITIZEN SCIENCE PROGRAM) SO IT HELPS US UNDERSTAND THOSE DIFFERENCES...” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE BUMBLE BEE NESTING BOX, INLCUDING RESOURCES SUPPLIED BY THE DONOR, OR TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20210013000

Acquisition Date

2021-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail