By Ken Hirter

The Humble Bee based in east Hamilton proudly presented their 5th Annual Winter Solstice and Bee Ball on Saturday December 21st. It was an enjoyable evening seeing people dancing into the night and having fun. What a great way to kick start the Winter season as well.

This year they were back at ” The Cotton Factory”, at 270 Sherman Ave North in the beautiful Mule room. 100 % of all ticket proceeds are donated to Wildlife Preservation Canada ” Bumble Bee Recovery Program”.

Who is Humble Bee? Humble Bee is a local apiary based here in Hamilton, Ontario. They have over 200 hives across the city, which are organically managed to produce sustainable bee colonies, local honey and beeswax products. Humble Bee is about urban farming and educating beekeepers and farmers in our community, building a strong community in Hamilton with a shared love of everything concerning the Bees. 

HUMBLE BEE, “HEALTHY BEES AND LOCAL HONEY – Bees, Honey, Beeswax, Equipment and Education , 601 Burlington Street East , (905) 769-0388, buzz@humblebee.buzz, www.humblebee.buzz

You may be asking yourself why this event takes place at the Winter Solstice. The Solstice is a key event in the beekeeping world. It is the longest night of the calendar year. Which means that moving forward, the days will begin to get longer. This change of seasons triggers the Queen bee to start laying and for the bee colony to rebuild. December is when the colony is at its smallest, so the Winter Solstice represents renewal, ushering in the new season.

What is the Wildlife Preservation Canada and the Bumble Bee Recovery Project? Although Bumble Bees are not the species most beekeepers work with, the loss of these incredible pollinator species impacts us all. Wildlife Preservation Canada focuses on captive breeding to rebuild populations which are endangered and of special concern. 

To learn more about this project – HTTPS://wildlifepreservation.ca/bumble-bee-recovery/#toggle-id-7-closed

Here is a listing of species and the names: 

BUMBLE BEES OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ONTARIO

YELLOW

  • Yellow
  • Northern amber 

ORANGE-BANDED/BOTTOMED

  • Tri-coloured
  • Red -belted
  • Frigid

CUCKOOS 

  • Ashton cuckoo
  • Lemon cuckoo

BLACK-BOTTOMED

  • Common eastern
  • Half-black
  • Confusing
  • Two-spotted
  • Rusty-patched

YELLOW-BANDED

  • American
  • Yellow-banded
  • Red-belted

The American, Ashton cuckoo, Rusty-patched and the Yellow-banded are the species in decline. 

Did you know that only female bumble bees can sting? They do not lose their stinger like other bees so they can sting many times. But bumble bees are not aggressive unless threatened. Bumble bees have a hairy tongue called a proboscis to lick up nectar. The tongue folds up when they are not eating. They also have jaws called mandibles to bite open flowers and eat pollen. They have soft hair on their body called pile. These hairs are very different than the thick hair on their legs that help them carry pollen. The thick leg hairs are called scopa. Bumble bees feed on nectar and pollen from the flowers of fruits and vegetables. They are important pollinators for the food that people eat. You can help the bumble bee and do your part by planting wildflowers in your yard or garden this year.

Visit these websites wildlifepreservation.ca pollinators@wildlifepreservation.ca to learn more.

What is Mead? Mead is known as a honey wine. The origin of this wine dates back to ancient times throughout Europe and Asia. It has played an important role in the mythology for some people which ascribed magical powers to it. 

The amazing world of the Bees, I would like to thank Luc Peters and Chelsea Bard from the Humble Bee and the fine folks who assisted and helped educate me in Bumble Bee 101 at the 2024 Winter Solstice and Bee Ball. It was a delightful evening from the bar, finger foods and the music by the awesome Dan Rivero. Everyone – families, farmers and friends young and old came out to celebrate everything bees.