Celebrate the birds and the bees tomorrow at the Pollinators Festival. Learn why the bees are at risk with York Professor Laurence Packer in the Department of Biology and about the social life of honey bees with the Toronto Beekeeping Co-operative.
The Pollinators Festival, part of International Pollinator Week, will take place from 8am to 3pm at the Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., Toronto. Pollinator Week is an international celebration of the ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.
There will be a presentation by Scott MacIvor of Toronto's Wild Bees on “Wild Bees Using Toronto Green Spaces”, a tour by Sheila Colla, a York PhD biology candidate, on “Meet the Bumble Bees: Why We Need Them and What They Do”, as well as a workshop on why bees are important to food production by FoodShare. There will also be local and international honey for sale at the farmer’s market.
It is expected to be a day filled with educational and celebratory events about pollinators, featuring garden tours, honey tasting, hands-on workshops, arts and crafts, speakers, panel discussions and more. York Faculty of Environmental Studies student Madeleine Lavin was this year’s assistant organizer for the festival.
For more information, visit the Pollinators Festival website.