CBC: Design competition gives Winnipeg bees homes
The University of Manitoba is hosting an international design competition called BEE/HOUSE/LAB, challenging people to create imaginative and functional houses for solitary bees.
“This is something totally different than the honeybees that have recently been in the news in relation to the downtown beekeeping law,” said Rob Currie, head of entomology at the university and one of the competition organizers. “These are for bees that are already found within the city.”
They usually nest in twigs, rotted out logs and holes beetles chew for them, Currie said.
“In our urban environment, we try to keep everything so pristine that there’s virtually no space available for them,” he said.
The goal of the competition is to create more habitat for the insects. The bee populations are quickly declining because of loss of habitat, harsh winters and pesticide use, the university said.