A sad story to report this week: the bee hive at Ecology Park experienced colony collapse disorder this fall and the entire bee colony has died.

In its first year, the GreenUP Community Bee Keeping program attracted 12 local beekeepers who stewarded six honeybee hives at five locations in Peterborough, including GreenUP Ecology Park, Liftlock Community Garden, Lock 20 – Parks Canada, Greenwood United Church, and Holy Cross Secondary School.

Along with the registered beekeeping program, GreenUP held four free “Open Hive!” events that introduced more than 100 community members to the world of honeybees through experiential, hands-on sessions at the GreenUP Ecology Park hive.

This season, the program collected 40 500-gram jars of honey from our five hives.

Members of the program, along with their family members, helped extract the honey in the Holy Cross school kitchen. Jars of honey were given to the community beekeepers along with hive site hosts, and to B’s Bees, the chief donor of this unique program.

These were some of the many great successes in the first year of the program. However, community beekeepers also witnessed some devastating yet important observations: the Ecology Park beehive experienced colony collapse disorder this fall, with the entire colony mysteriously and suddenly dying off.

Evidence left behind in the Ecology Park hive shows that new honeybees died while emerging from their cells as adults. Others died while depositing pollen, and while feeding on honey. With various stages of bees dying in the hive, this suggests that the collapse happened quite quickly.

One frame from the hive shows that the colony attempted to create a new queen. Worker bees will do so when the existing queen is sick, old, or has died. Unfortunately, not enough workers were able to finish the “queen cell” — needed to create a new queen for the Ecology Park hive — before the colony collapsed.

What is the cause of hive collapse and what caused this hive to collapse, right in our own city?

Evidence has shown that a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids used on corn, soy, and other crops, have contributed to a major decline in honeybee populations across the globe. Some of the most recent studies show that other pesticides including fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides can all have an effect on honeybee health and can increase their vulnerability to stressors such as pathogens, disease, and infection.

Pesticides are banned in Peterborough for cosmetic use but are still used in some commercial applications. Also, despite the known harm to humans and to ecosystems, many pesticide products are still available on the store shelves.

Honeybees feed up to a five-kilometer radius around their hive; the collapse of the Ecology Park hive suggests that the bees may have been feeding on pollen within their feeding range that had been exposed to chemicals.

“Pollen is required by honeybees in order to develop normal physiological characteristics to maintain and grow a healthy colony,” explains Marcy Adzich, GreenUP’s Manager of Landscape programs and resident beekeeper. “In order for honeybees to obtain the necessary nutritional value from pollen, it must contain at least 20% crude protein and 10 specific amino acids. Honeybees need to forage on an array of pollen sources to make up for lack of protein content or amino acids.”

Bees are the most common pollinator, with more than 700 native species living in Canada. Other pollinators include butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are an introduced, managed species that exists as a superorganism, evolving over 135 million years with highly sophisticated communication and organizational characteristics.

Pollinators transfer pollen between flowers while visiting a plant for food, to mate, or for shelter and nest-building materials. Pollination and is responsible for 85% of the world’s plant biodiversity.

“Improving the health of bees and other pollinators is an urgent necessity,” continues Adzich. “Without pollinators, much of the food we eat and a diversity of terrestrial ecosystems would not exist.”

Insect pollinators are facing major challenges to their survival and populations have rapidly declined, up to 58% in some provinces.

As we face the pollinator crisis in Peterborough, without rapid changes to the use of harmful pesticides, GreenUP continues to expect that one out of every six of our local hives will face colony collapse disorder.

The collapse of our own local Ecology Park hive brings this issue very close to home, but allows us to recognize that pollinator health and well-being is dependent on us. Taking action now to learn about pollinators, reduce our use of toxic pesticides, and restore natural habitats are positive steps we can take for our environment and our future.

Starting this week, an installation including frames from the Ecology Park hive and the collapsed colony are on display at the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough. Please come and view the various ages of honeycomb from the hive, and see the diversity of pollen sources that honeybees are finding right here in Peterborough. Increase your understanding of honeybee behavior by viewing the inside of the hive, and see evidence left behind by the collapsed colony.

Donations to the GreenUP Community Beekeeping Program are welcome and help to support education, equipment, and tools required to build and maintain healthy honeybee colonies throughout Peterborough. For more information and to donate, visit www.greenup.on.ca/donate-now/.

Don Finlayson, Funeral Director at Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre in Lindsay, has recently expanded his staff team to include Bentley, a one-year-old Wheaton Terrier Poodle mix known as a “whoodle”.

“Comfort dogs” like Bentley are becoming more common in settings where stress and anxiety runs high, including nursing care residences and child therapy groups. Being comforted by a loving animal is known to provide both physical and mental benefits, and often brings a smile, a sense of relief, and a little joy despite the loss that a grieving person is experiencing.

Lakeland staff began talking about the benefits of a comfort dog about six months ago. They discussed what kind of dog would best suit their environment and the families they serve, how to manage the day-to-day routines, and where the dog would live when not at Lakeland.

Don and his family were keen to be the forever home for a comfort dog, and he took the lead to find the “perfect dog” for Lakeland. He walked down the road to the shelter at the Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes and asked if they could keep the funeral home in mind should the right kind of dog came into their care.

A couple of weeks ago, Lakeland got a call about a rather shaggy “whoodle” who had been given up by his previous owner, who was unable to manage her multiple pets. Just one year old and still full of puppyhood fun — but also gentle, loving, and undeniably cute — Bentley seemed like the perfect candidate for a comfort dog.

For the next few weeks, Bentley’s role at Lakeland will be primarily behind the scenes. Along with his handlers, Don and Lynn from Lakeland, Bentley is currently taking behaviour lessons to ensure he understands his important role within the business.

“He will be trained to be more than just a cuddly pup,” Don explains. “He’s got a real purpose. He is learning, as we are, how to develop him into an integral part of our caring team and an emotional benefit to those families in need.”

Courtney Bryans, manager of the shelter at Kawartha Lakes Humane Society, thinks Bentley will be a great comfort dog.

“When Bentley came in to the Humane Society he was in rough shape, but still a lovable guy,” Courtney says. “He was just a pup and his previous owner just misunderstood him. Lakeland Funeral Centre took him into their care as foster to adopt, and they got him groomed and he looks wonderful. We are sure he will be wonderful at the funeral home.”

Jill Sadler, executive director of Hospice Kawartha Lakes, says dogs have a special way of providing comfort to people who are stressed and dealing with grief.

“They have the ability to connect with people of all ages in a unique way that can have a calming effect,” Jill says. “Dogs can provide warmth and relief from the intense grief feelings that one is carrying during an emotion-filled time surrounding the death of someone you love. I think it’s wonderful that Lakeland Funeral Home is providing this added comfort to your families during one of their most difficult times.”

Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre is a division of Little Lake Cemetery Co., and CEO Mary McGee says that Bentley will also improve the well-being of employees at Lakeland.

“Our workplace can sometimes be a difficult and emotional environment for staff as well,” Mary says. “Taking Bentley out for a walk-about is a welcomed task; a great reason to take a short break, breathe some fresh air, and be mindful of the small joys within each day.”

Don says that Bentley is also making the funeral home more accessible to the community. Neighbours, suppliers, and families are welcome to drop by to meet Bentley and say hello — it all helps to reduce the fear and anxiety associated with bereavement services.

All photos courtesy of Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre.

Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman to fly in space, is delivering the keynote address for the 7th annual Philanthropy Forum hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough (CFGP).

Dr. Bondar will be speaking at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough). This general admission event is open to the public. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at www.markethall.org.

The topic of her keynote address will be “Above and Beyond — Why Spaceflight is Only the Beginning”.

An astronaut, physician, and photographer, Dr. Bondar expanded the horizons of millions when she flew on the space shuttle Discovery on January 22, 1992.

“When I was eight years old to be a spaceman was the most exciting thing I could imagine,” she says.

The unique perspective of Earth during her spaceflight gave Dr. Bondar a new appreciation for our planet, which she captured in her photography and expresses in her work with the Roberta Bondar Foundation, which focuses on raising environmental awareness.

Dr. Bondar’s presentation at the Market Hall will offer attendees a glimpse of this perspective and a new application for the natural world.

When Dr. Bondar flew on Discovery in 1992, she became the first neurologist in space and Canada’s first female astronaut.

As a payload specialist, she conducted more than 40 advanced scientific experiments for 14 nations. Back on Earth, Dr. Bondar and her team of researchers examined data obtained from astronauts on 24 space missions to better understand the mechanisms underlying the body’s ability to recover from exposure to space.

Following more than a decade as NASA’s head of space medicine, Dr. Bondar became a consultant and speaker in the business, scientific, and medical communities. She has received many honours including the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the NASA Space Medal, over 22 honorary degrees, and induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Five schools in Canada have been named after her. In 2017, the Royal Canadian Mint will be releasing a limited edition coin entitled “A View of Canada from Space” to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Dr. Bondar’s flight into space.

Dr. Bondar served six years as Chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough. She holds a BSc in Zoology and Agriculture, an MSc in Experimental Pathology, a PhD in Neurobiology, an MD, and is a Board Certified Neurologist, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She sub-specialized in Neuro-ophthalmology at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston and at Toronto Western Hospital.

Dr. Bondar’s keynote address will bring to a close CFGP’s Philanthropy Forum conference, which takes place Tuesday, November 15th and Wednesday, November 16th at various venues in downtown Peterborough, including the Market Hall, The Venue, Whitepath Consulting, and Myrtle’s Kitchen.

This year’s Philanthropy Forum is festival-style, allowing for more opportunities for networking and longer workshop sessions. The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. on November 15th — National Philanthropy Day — with a networking breakfast at Market Hall, which will include a welcome from the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area and a song from the Indigenous group Unity.

The Philanthropy Forum, with the theme “Connect to what matters”, includes: plenary sessions on rehumanizing the workplace by Stéphane Grenier, digital photography by Paul Nazareth, and reconciliation by Jessica Bolduc; a panel discussion on inspiring stories of community success; and workshops on governance, leadership, fundraising social media marketing, branding for non-profits, strategic planning, legal issues in social media for charities, volunteerism, and (of course) philanthropy.

Registration for the Philanthropy Forum is now closed, but you can check out the program and schedule at www.cfgp.ca/forum.