Creating a Buzz with Bee Research

Bees play a massive role within our ecosystems. As pollinators, they create vital food sources for animals and one third of the food we consume. Bee researchers in the Faculty of Science have assembled a bee collection that is Canada’s largest and one of the world’s most diverse. They’re leading efforts to use genomics to improve bee health and understand their behaviours, and investigating the linkages between climate change and declining bee populations.

Researchers at York University have also created a new Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BEEc) to help bees flourish. Through this Organized Research Unit (ORU), York is empowering students to develop innovative solutions for conserving at-risk native pollinators like bumblebees, and improve the health of managed honey bees.

BEEc will bring together biologists, mathematicians, engineers, social scientists, and economists to take on some of the most pressing problems that are contributing to the bee crisis. Students and researchers will study the health, behaviour, biodiversity, genomics, and conservation of bees with a focus on long-term sustainability.

From saving the bees to saving the planet, our Faculty of Science prides itself on giving people the tools and resources they need to change the world.