Image Credit: Andreyi Armiagov / Dreamstime.com

By Naya Macaulay, Kamloops Food Policy Council

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Let it Bee! Creating pollinator friendly gardens in Kamloops

Jun 11, 2025 | 10:43 AM

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO EASY to reduce bees to simple honey-making, anaphylaxis-inducing insects. Without a deeper understanding of the relationship between these pollinators and our everyday lives, we risk losing so many overlooked daily pleasures. From our most comforting foods to our favourite flowers, pollinators are inevitably intertwined with the existence of something that you love. As someone who always found these fuzzy, gravity-defying insects endearing, I was ashamed to realize how little I actually know about bees; these little critters do so much for us, the very least we can do is understand the basics. In this article, I will be sharing what I have learned while attending the 2025 Kamloops Pollinator Festival and how our everyday yardwork practices could be harming our friendly neighbourhood pollinators.

When I picture pollinators, I envision delicate butterflies and chunky bumble bees; hives forming under balconies and wasps bombarding outdoor meals. It was only when I approached the Master Gardeners Association of BC and saw the massive array of pollinators on display, that I could begin to understand how little I really knew.

BC is home to nearly 600 species of native bees, over 70 per cent of which spend the majority of their lives underground (Blackmore. Sedgeman, 2024). These bees are mostly solitary and do not form the classic bulbous hives we are accustomed to seeing in children’s books and cartoons. Why is this so important to know? Because it’s spring, and spring means yard work: mowing lawns, landscaping, planting, raking, digging… the hive hanging from the corner of your garage may be safe but if most of our pollinators are under our feet then that mower could be doing more harm than good.

Image Credit: BC Native Bees

Yes, I’m sure many of us could live without the honey created by bees introduced from Europe, but contrary to what many may believe, native bees are almost strictly pollen collectors; providing essential life support for other plants and ensuring our food security as humans.

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Like any other creature that has been directly or indirectly harmed through human action, pollinators are threatened greatly by habitat loss as native plants become overlooked in favour of showy, decorative flora. This tends to result in the introduction of new or invasive bee species that spread disease and compete for nesting sites, without providing the same environmental benefits that our native pollinators have for centuries. Interior BC’s native bee species have evolved and adapted to this particular area; they are provided food and shelter in a cycle of mutualism with native plants in our region.

Native bees remain in the same general area year after year, emerging from the ground in the spring. They make their homes in wood cavities, underground tunnels, or hollow pithy stems of dead plants — with every visit from the landscaper, these pollinators lose more nesting ground. That being said, there are still several things we can do to prevent further loss. By cultivating native, regionally-appropriate plants, you can easily create additional nesting sites and habitat. Like everything else in our ecosystem, the diversity of bees and plants are deeply interconnected; protecting one native population will assist in the protection of another. Reducing the fragmentation of green, natural spaces by creating your own garden is one of the best ways to support native species in your area. While meeting the Master Gardeners at the Kamloops Regional Farmer’s Market, I snagged a brochure where Thompson Shuswap Master Gardeners Elaine Sedgman and Megan Blackmore share additional methods of habitat enhancement for your own backyard: Allow a corner of your yard to go wild with grasses, wildflowers, logs and brush that provide food, nesting sites, shelter and over wintering sites.

• Leave areas in your yard mulch free for ground nesting bees.
• Provide a muddy spot to supply nutrients and nesting materials.
• Leave leaf litter in your garden for bumblebee overwintering sites.
• Choose plants well suited to survive our arid climate to reduce water usage.
• Provide water in a shallow dish or birdbath with rocks for perching.
• Avoid pesticide use.
  Image Credit: BC Native Bees

The most difficult part of starting a garden is understanding what to plant and how it interacts with the other plants and creatures around it. I was grateful to stumble upon a list created by the Native Bee Society of BC, providing a list of 10 native plants and their associated bee of interest. When you consider what to plant, it’s critical to keep diversity in mind: include flowers with varying blooming periods through the seasons and a range of flower shapes to accommodate different kinds and sizes of pollinators.

The list recommended by the Native Bee Society of BC is as follows:

1. Timber milk-vetch
2. Golden-aster
3. Curly-cup gumweed
4. Goldenrod
5. Cinquefoil
6. Silverleaf phacelia
7. Hoary tansyaster
8. Wavy leaved thistle
9. Showy daisy
10. Aster

Many of these plants are easy to recognize from within our region, evolving and creating complex relationships with the native wildlife it provides resources for. The idea of saving a species from extinction is overwhelming, but groups and organizations like the Master Gardeners Association of BC and the Native Bee Society of BC have helped make the next steps clear and easy through their abundant resources and educational offerings.

If gardening for pollinators is something that interests you stay tuned for our July 2025 Sound Off where Becky, a KFPC board member, will share tips and recommendations based on her personal experiences creating and maintaining a garden in her backyard — the hope being that you can take this article and the one that follows as resources to create your very own thoughtfully planned pollinator garden. Take a moment to reflect on the small things in your life that bring you joy and where they come from — somewhere in that process you’ll find a pollinator; so the next time you see a corner of your yard going wild, don’t take the pruners to it, let it bee.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.