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Solutions for Farmers & Food for Bees Accueil: Bienvenue News & Events Pollination of greenhouse crops requires the use of commercial bumblebee hives (Bombus sp .), often carrying diseases, which will be transmitted to wild bees, several species of which are already threatened. In addition, these commercial bumblebees, often limited in the food diversity available in the greenhouse, can develop behavioral disorders, reducing pollination efficiency. ​ Solutions exist! » Large format poster ​ Accueil: Actualités et ressources Ongoing project Tailor-made flower strips for the conservation of endangered bumble bees Amélie Morin, master’s student, presents her research work… and her passion for bumble bees! (c) ECCC and A. Morin As part of her research project, Amélie worked in collaboration with 18 agricultural producers from Montérégie, who created flower arrangements for bumblebees. These arrangements consisted of strips adjacent to crops, sown with several shrubby or herbaceous floral species. In the end, more than 3,600 bumblebees were photographed and then released, allowing the identification of 61 individuals belonging to 2 endangered species. ​ For the continuation of her research, Amélie will look at the nutritional content of plants. A bit like the nutritional tables found on our foods, plants do not all contain the same nutrients and therefore do not have the same value in supporting the health of bumble bees. ​ ​ Learn more (FR) Current projects Multidisciplinary science for sustainable development: reconciling agriculture and the preservation of native pollinators in Canada In addition to this, you need to know more about it. Promote the health and nutrition of native pollinators Promote the health and sustainability of agricultural production Consideration of the economic and social reality of farmers The establishment of sustainable agriculture requires integrating the interests of all stakeholders. This entails considering the needs and obstacles faced by producers when initiating research projects. We conduct surveys and interviews with farmers in Ontario and Quebec to assess their main interests and limitations in implementing bumblebee-friendly management practices. These surveys will also allow us to integrate their suggestions and recommendations to identify plants and associations of high agro-economic value to include in our experiments on the health and performance of bumblebees. Nutritional complementarity of cultivated and native plants for bumblebees Monocultures restrict pollinators to a monotonous, often deficient diet, increasing the risk of disease and reducing pollination and reproductive performance. We seek to identify the best combinations of plants (cultivated or cultivated-indigenous) providing a nutritious pollen resource adapted to bumblebees over an annual cycle, in order to target the combinations to be favored in agricultural environments to fight against malnutrition and decline of colonies. ​ Image: a sunflower in a cornfield. Sunflowers have interesting nutritional and medicinal values ​​for pollinators. We are now looking to identify other plants with similar properties and adapted to our climate in Canada. Improving the health of bumblebees in greenhouses to preserve wild pollinators Commercial bumblebees are used on a large scale for the pollination of greenhouse crops. However, they often have a low resistance to diseases, and may thus pose an additional threat to wild bees, by increasing the transmission of parasites. We want to test to what extent the establishment of sunflower strips, whose pollen possesses medicinal values, operates as a simple and effective solution to reduce the parasitic load of commercial bumblebees in greenhouses before they enter in contact with wild bumblebees and other native bees. Accueil: recherche Who are we ? We are a group of conservation researchers and practitioners in Quebec, Ontario and Massachussets, working closely with producers, agronomists, entrepreneurs and policy makers. We seek to identify solutions for a sustainable agriculture that combine the socio-economic reality of farmers with the ecological and nutritional needs of native pollinators. Mathilde Tissier Valerie Fournier Patrick Bergeron Accueil: À propos de moi Sarah Mackell Lynn Adler Sheila Colla Carolyn Callaghan Find out more Contact us Canada : Centre de recherche et d’innovation sur les végétaux, Université Laval 2480 boul. Hochelaga, Québec, Qc, G1V 0A6 ​ France : IPHC-UMR7178, CNRS / Unistra 23 Rue Becquerel, Bâtiment 60 (DEPE) F-67087, Strasbourg Cedex ​ Contact us at : mathilde.tissier1[a]Ulaval.ca mathilde.tissier[a]iphc.cnrs.fr Accueil: Contact

News & Events April 2024 - Thesis opportunity (competitive selection) at the University of Strasbourg (France) on the ecophysiology and conservation of bumble bees " Multidimensional characterization of the composition of pollen to support the health and resilience of bumblebees in a context of climate change ." More info here . April 2024 - Congratulations to Amélie Morin who defended her entry into the doctoral program and her project on the implementation of tailor-made flower strips for bumblebees in agricultural environments; you can read more about his project here (FR only) . July 2023 - Congratulations to the researcher in charge of our project, Mathilde Tissi er , who obtains a permanent position at the CNRS (France), allowing us to carry our project across the Atlantic and to create a new bridge between France and Quebec to accelerate the transfer of knowledge and experience on the conservation of pollinators and sustainable agriculture. April 2023 - Mathilde Tissier presented our work during an invited seminar as part of the Bee, Ecology and Evolution seminar - York University. Watch her presentation here. December 2022 - We will attend the day of exchanges on good practices in pollination , organized by the CRAAQ (Quebec agriculture and Agri-Food reference center) on December 14. August 2022 - Meet us at the CSEE-ESA conference in Montreal ​ Find the poster presenting our project and some preliminary results during the poster session on Monday August 15, 5-6:30 pm. May 2022 - The 2022 pitch begins! ​ It's spring, and bumble bee queens are emerging from hibernation. This is the period during which we initiate the various field studies: captures of bumble bee queens and evaluation of their health (with WPC), setting up studies in greenhouses to identify the associations of cultures favorable to bumblebees and interesting for agricultural producers. A yellow-banded bumble bee queen (Bombus terricola ), on a willow flower (c) Tiffani Harrison An experimental greenhouse at Bishop's University (c) Gabrielle Bourbeau October 2021 - Find us at BeeCon 2021 and SQEBC 2021 ​ Sarah MacKell and Mathilde Tissier present the preliminary results of our studies on the nutritional value of pollen from plants native to Quebec and Ontario on the reproduction and health of bumblebees at the BeeCon 2021 conference ( free registration here ) on October 14, 2021 and at the SQEBC ( find out more here ) between November 4 and 7, 2021. July 2021 - pollen for native pollinators ​ Reproduction of wild-caught bumblebee queens is underway as part of our project on the benefits of native plant pollen for bumblebees in Quebec and Ontario. To learn more, it's here ! June 2021 - Follow us on Facebook & Twitter! ​ We are now present on Twitter and Facebook : you can follow us to be informed in real time of the progress of our research and our projects! May 2021 - Sustainable agriculture Our partner Frédéric Jobin-Lawler from L'Abri Végétal talks about the Quebec government's plan to help greenhouse companies abandon fossil fuels on radio Canada May 2021 - droughts Our partner Louis Drainville - Terre-Eau Inc. talks about the benefit of windbreak hedges to increase water reserves in agricultural areas on Radio Canada and La Terre de Chez Nous . May 2021 - Mathilde Tissier presents her work at the Acfas Congress within the conference 204 - The challenges of wildlife management in the Anthropocene era April 2021 - Announcement - seeking greenhouse partners ​ We are looking for companies or greenhouse producers interested in collaborating on our bumblebee health project. Know more Actualités: Événements

Ressources: Actualités et ressources Resources & information Here you will find useful resources and press articles related to our projects and research. Some resources may only be available in French, but please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more. Education and awareness Media resources Visual resources (photos and videos)

To see this working, head to your live site. All Posts My Posts Forum éducation Explorez le forum maintenant et connectez-vous avec des utilisateurs comme vous. Sort by: Recent Activity Follow All Categories Create New Post Comments Views Recent Activity Item option menu Bienvenue sur le forum consacré à l'éducation ecology-nutrition 0 0 Apr 08, 2021 L'implication grandissante des nouvelles technologies dans l'éducation supérieure ecology-nutrition 0 0 Apr 08, 2021 Des façons originales de commencer un cours ecology-nutrition 0 0 Apr 08, 2021 Comment faire en sorte que vos étudiants participent ? ecology-nutrition 0 0 Apr 08, 2021 Forum - Frameless Forum: Forum

Resources and information Here you will find useful resources and press articles related to our projects and research. Some resources may only be available in French, but please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more. Ressources: Actualités et ressources Greenhouse pollination, what an organization! The pollination of crops in greenhouses requires the use of commercial hives of bumblebees (Bombus spp .). They are often carriers of diseases, which will be transmitted to wild bees, several species of which are already endangered. In addition, these commercial bumblebees, often limited by the diversity of food available in the greenhouse, can develop behavioral disorders, reducing pollination efficiency. ​ Solutions exist! » Large format poster ​ Sources:Section 1 -Section 2 -Section 3 ​ Sunflower has medicinal properties for bees, including bumble bees Research carried out by Prof. Lynn Adler's team has shown that sunflower pollen has medicinal value allowing honey bees (Apis mellifera ) and bumble bees (Bombus impatiens ) to heal, by getting rid of important intestinal parasites. But there are other plants with medicinal properties, such as thyme, purple digitalis or even linaria. Those plants, however, are not native to Northern America. Our research will now seek to identify native plants with similar properties. We are for instance investigating the medicinal values of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus ), which belongs to the same family than the sunflower, or of the Canadian impatiens (Impatiens canadensis ) ​ Sources (EN): - Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Poster in pdf (c) Solange Barrault & Mathilde Tissier In pollinators' boots Pollinators are essential for agriculture and our food security. The production of our fruits, vegetables, seeds (strawberries, tomatoes, blueberries, sunflowers ...) depend on pollinators. In Canada, 70% of the pollination work is done by bees ... mostly wild bees! ​ Poster in pdf ​ (c) Poster: Solange Barrault & Mathilde Tissier Did you know that dandelion is actually not that bee friendly? Listen to the story by Chantal Srivastava who questions scientists on the subject (FR). An article by Sheilla Colla, professor at York University, is also available here .

Projects Nutritional complementarity of cultivated and native plants for bumblebees Context Many species of bumblebees are threatened with extinction in France and Canada. Most of the knowledge on their ecology and physiology relates to commercially raised species. Information on wild bees is scant in comparison. As part of the “Solutions for Farmers and Food for Bumble bees” project (supported by the Liber-Ero program), we evaluated the benefits of native pollen on the reproductive performance of native bumblebees, in collaboration with farmers, ENGOs and industrial partners. Our research group builds on this work to improve knowledge of the nutritional needs and health of wild bumble bees and provide scientific solutions for the conservation of threatened species. More specifically, we aim at: 1. Characterizing the nutritional profile of pollen from native plants and crops maximizing the reproduction of queen bumblebees. 2. Developing non-invasive techniques to assess parasite and viral loads of bumblebees. ​ This project will be ongoing from October 2023 to October 2025. Read more about the progress on the QCBS website here . ​ ​ ​ ​ Two-Tasked Bumblebee (Bombus bimaculatus ) - (c) T. Harrison, CFC. Ground Bumblebee (Bombus terricola ) - (c) CFCs. Context Monocultures restrict pollinators to a monotonous, often deficient diet, increasing the risk of disease and reducing pollination and reproductive performance. We seek to identify the best combinations of plants (cultivated or cultivated-indigenous) providing a nutritious pollen resource adapted to bumblebees over an annual cycle, in order to target the combinations to be favored in agricultural environments to fight against malnutrition and decline of wild bees. ​ Approach used ​ We will identify pollen from cultivated or native plants with high nutritional value and with medicinal potential for bumblebees, and assess their complementarity with the main crops in Eastern Canada (corn, soybeans, blueberries, cranberries, apples, strawberries, tomatoes). ​ We are conducting studies in a controlled environment (animal house), semi-controlled environment (greenhouses) and in the wild (field), in which we seek to evaluate the benefits of different pollen (tested individually and in combination) on the health, reproduction and survival of several bumblebee species. ​ ​ Blueberry field - area where the habitat is dominated by blueberries, which bloom in June and are very attractive to bumblebees. However, its flowering is short and does not provide all the nutrients necessary for the health and performance of the colonies. Corn - its cultivation is widespread in Quebec, especially in Montérégie. Although widely pollinated by wind, corn, which is generally cultivated over very large areas, is heavily visited by pollinators during its flowering. However, it is deficient in some essential nutrients affecting behavior and reproduction. We will also carry out biochemical studies on each pollen, in order to measure their content in various essential nutrients for native bees. Course of studies Updated 2022 and 2023 - The 2021 studies having been a success, achieving a colony production success of 80% and an increase in the number of reproductive individuals (gynes and males) with certain native pollens, we repeated the study on the threatened species Bombus terricola , successfully in 2023. You can read more on theCFC website or follow them on social media for regular updates!Instagram -Facebook -Twitter . April 2021 - We initiated a study, in collaboration with Wildlife Preservation Canada , on the benefit of pollen from trees native to Quebec and Ontario on the reproduction and health of queens of two species of bumblebees natives of these Provinces. This study is an integral part of WPC's native pollinator initiative , in which queens of different species are bred under controlled conditions and then released to support declining wild populations. (c) Sarah MacKell - WPC May 2021 - Bumblebee queens were captured in southern Ontario and placed in the animal facilities of the African Lion Safari where the study is conducted. We will test the benefit of pollen from three different species identified as having high nutritional values for bumblebees, compared to a mix of wild flower pollens. ​ The pollens were obtained thanks to our collaborators , Yann Loranger and Isabelle Rabbat. ​ July 2021 - here are some pictures of the growing colonies! Installation of queens in the animal facilities under red light - why? Because bumblebees do not see in the red, allowing to recreate a dark environment like their burrows in the wild. (c) Sarah MacKell, WPC. Queen Bombus impatiens with her workers. Do you know how to identify young emerging individuals? Their hair is still white, and will take on a yellow color over the hours / days, while their abdomen will turn black. (c) Sarah MacKell, WPC. Queen Bombus griseocollis with her two new workers, taking care of the brood. Colonies of this species are generally smaller in size than those of the species Bombus impatiens. Healthy bees are well-fed bees Improving bumblebees' health in greenhouses to preserve wild pollinators Context Commercial bumblebees are used on a large scale for the pollination of greenhouse crops. However, they are less resistant to disease, and thus pose an additional threat to wild bees, by increasing the transmission of parasites. We want to test to what extent the establishment of sunflower strips, the pollen of which has medicinal values , in greenhouses in Quebec operates as a simple and effective solution to reduce the parasitic load of commercial bumblebees before they enter. contact with bumblebees and other wild bees. ​ Commercial bumblebee hive (Bombus impatiens ) for the pollination of greenhouse crops - (c) Mathilde Tissier Course of the study April 2021 - identification of participating greenhouses and installation of the first beehives ​ May 2021 - monitoring of the hives in each greenhouse by non-invasive capture of the workers (collection of excrement to assess workers' health), before releasing them into the greenhouse ​ June 2021 - Sunflower transplants in greenhouses and monitoring of beehives ​ July 2021 - Introduction of new hives in greenhouses during the peak of flowering and non-invasive monitoring of workers Some pictures of the study April 2021 - worker from a commercial beehive - (c) Mathilde Tissier July 2021 - worker on a sunflower - (c) Mathilde Tissier July 2021 - 5 bumblebees on the same flower! It is a worker and 4 males. How to differentiate them? Males do not have a pollen basket on their legs (and they have one more segment on the abdomen) - (c) Mathilde Tissier Projets: Recherche

Our partners Our projects became reality thanks to the funding and collaboration with companies (producers, entrepreneurs, consultants), organizations (NGOs applied research centers), researchers and individuals. Nos partenaires: Recherche Joany Brodeur L'arôme des champs Website Annie Lévesque & Frédéric Jobin-Lawler L'abri végétal Website Frédéric Couture Les Grands Soleils Find out more (radio-canada) Sophie Gendron Gendron-Benoit Farm Contact Thérèse Shaheen & Mireille Morin Sanders Farm Website Vincent Marcoux & Vincent Mousseau Le Jardin des Funambules Website Nos partenaires: Recherche Collaborators Frédéric McCune, MSc Frédéric is a research professional in the laboratory of Valérie Fournier at Laval University Solange Barrault, MSc Solange is employed at Terre-Eau inc. , in charge of visuals and the establishment of surveys for research conducted with farmers Louis Drainville, Agr. & biologist Louis is the CEO of Terre-Eau inc ., Which offers advice to producers in order to reconcile agriculture and biodiversity Roxanne Cloutier, BSc As a research assistant , Roxanne helps us synthesizing the literature on landscape elements affecting bumblebees in collaboration with Terre-Eau Yann Loranger & Isabelle Rabbat Beekeepers and directors of Happy-Culture , Isabelle and Yann advise us and help us in collecting pollen from native flowers. Jessy Loranger, PhD Doctor in plant biology and ecosystem ecology, Jessy is now co-founder of Loranger Permaculture Geneviève Labrie, PhD Researcher at CRAM , Geneviève specializes in entomology and biodiversity in agriculture and in particular in market garden greenhouses. Jane Morrison, PhD Jane is assistant professor at Bishop's University and a strategic member of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Programs Nos partenaires: recherche Partner institutions and funders Nos partenaires: Clients

(c) Mathilde Tissier CONTACT Bishop's University - 2600 College Street, Dept. Biology, J302, Sherbrooke, J1M 1Z7 Send Thank your for your email! Or send us an email at: sppb-sffb [at] tutanota.com Contact: Contact

Here you will find photographs related to our projects. Do not hesitate to read the descriptions to learn more! If you want to get some photos in higher quality, please contact us .

Media resources If you are a journalist or member of the news media looking for a specialist for an interview, visual media or specific information on our projects, contact us at sppb-sffb (at) tutanota.com , we will be happy to respond! Latest news and press articles Our media partners May 2021 - drought Our partner Louis Drainville – Terre-Eau Inc. talks about the benefit of windbreak hedges to increase water reserves in agricultural areas in radio canada and La Terre de Chez Nous . ​ ​ May 2021 - sustainable agriculture Our partner Frédéric Jobin-Lawler from L'Abri Végétal talks about the Quebec government's plan to help greenhouse businesses switch from fossil fuels on Radio Canada. ​ ​ Our project in the media and the University press ​ April 2022 - Plants with high nutritional and medicinal value to improve the health and reproduction of wild… and honey bees? - Mathilde Tissier in L'Abeille, Spring 2022 , Volume 44, Number 3 (FR). ​ October 2021 - Listen to a summary of our research and our project by Jami Crook on CJMQ - The QUBE at minute 19:15 (EN). ​ March 2021 - Mathilde Tissier presents the project in Bishop's News Press (EN).

Qui sommes-nous?: Actualités et ressources Mathilde Tissier, PhD Mathilde is interested in the effects of nutrition on the performance of terrestrial animals, including pollinators. Recipient of the Liber Ero fellowship and researcher at the CNRS (France), she is the researcher in charge of the project. She obtained her PhD in ecology and conservation biology in agriculture from the University of Strasbourg (France) in 2017, after completing a BSc and MsC in exchange between France, Quebec and British Columbia. ​ Her website

"Solutions for farmers & food for bumblebees" The project was born in 2021, carried by the Liber Ero program which supports young researchers in Conservation Biology in the development and dissemination of research that facilitates the resolution of conservation and management issues important to Canada. Find out more À propos: À propos CONTEXT In Canada, more than a billion dollars worth of fruits and vegetables depend on wild bees and bumblebees for pollination. These pollinators also pollinate many wild plants, and are therefore essential to maintaining the integrity and functionality of many ecosystems. As they are active at low temperatures, bumblebees are important pollinators in our latitudes. However, seven species are already threatened with extinction in Canada. The main threats are habitat loss, parasitic infections, malnutrition and exposure to pesticides, associated with intensive agriculture. To act effectively on these threats, we must: 1) re-establish a dialogue with farmers and integrate their considerations when launching research and conservation projects; 2) improve our knowledge of the needs of native pollinators; 3) ensure a rapid and efficient transfer of the knowledge acquired from the various stakeholders. THE PROJECT This two-year project, to improve the health of native pollinators, is built around three main objectives / components: 1. Carry out surveys among farmers to determine their main interests and obstacles in the implementation of solutions favorable to native pollinators, and to identify cultivable or native plants with agro-economic interests. 2. Improve knowledge on the nutrition and physiology of native pollinators in eastern Canada with a focus on bumblebees (Bombus spp .) 3. Transfer, quickly and efficiently, the knowledge acquired to the development of favorable pollinator practices and sustainable agriculture. The producer surveys will be implemented very soon. The results will help guide the trials carried out in the second section on the nutrition and performance of bumblebees and thus the recommendations made in the third section. FUNDING AND COLLABORATIONS This project is mainly funded by the Liber Ero program and supported by the MAPAQ through PAAR exploratory trials. Who are we ? Our partners À propos: Texte