Vision

Students in semester 1 Environmental Science classes linked food insecurity to wild bee populations. The students spent several hours a week in an adjacent community garden harvesting and maintaining donation plots (the food harvested was donated to local food banks).

After seeing the link between pollinators and yield, wild bee habitats (nest boxes) were designed by two grade 11 Environmental Science students as a culminating task in the semester. The design was inspired by the hexagon shape of a honeycomb (related to the school apiary and student bee club).

This student vision was extended in the second semester as Construction and Environmental Science students identified the potential to construct and share these wild bee habitats with other schools on the board. To further support the vision, students wanted to increase awareness of the importance of pollinator habitats (and how to properly maintain them), providing a solutions approach to the problem of habitat loss.

Action

Wooden hexagons structures were constructed by grade 11 and grade 12 construction classes at Holy Cross. Students in Environmental Science classes researched materials that could be nested inside of the hexagons to provide habitat for cavity nesting bees (e.g. phragmites, elderberry, bamboo). They harvested materials and assembled bundles to place inside the bee nests.

Students also designed a Google site detailing the importance of pollinators and pollinator habitats in Ontario. The website can be accessed using a QR code. Students connected the Google site to their nest box project by laser etching the QR code into the design of the habitat. This was made possible by staff and students in the HC technology department.

Once the bee habitats were constructed, Holy Cross feeder schools were contacted by grade 12 Environment Resource Management students to set up a plan for the distribution of the nests. This plan included the organization of site visits, delivery, structure placement, safety signage, and maintenance.

Elementary students at the feeder schools were provided with a mini-lesson on the importance of pollinators and the hopes of this project.

Reflection & Celebration

This project provided students with an opportunity to research, design, cooperate, build, distribute, and educate younger students (and feeder school communities) about the importance of wild bee habitats. Students were excited to make habitats that would be distributed to their former schools.

The habitats will be collected in the fall to clean and maintain the structures. The nesting material will be overwintered, and the bees will be released in the spring. New nesting material and more schools will be involved in the next year.

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