When you join Dr. Sabrina Rondeau’s citizen science project, Abeilles Citoyennes, you turn your backyard into a pollinator research hub. Using the provided kit, you set colorful bowls of soapy water outside in the sun. After 24 hours, you collect the trapped pollinators and send them to be analyzed.
These samples from your backyard are vital to the Quebec-wide data collection effort led by researchers at Université Laval and co-founded by pollinator expert and Arrell Scholar Alumna Dr. Sabrina Rondeau. Rondeau co-founded Abeilles Citoyennes (“citizen bees”) in 2019 to address the lack of research on native pollinators, which hinders accurate conservation assessments and effective action. Abeilles Citoyennes mobilizes over 100 volunteers in Quebec who regularly contribute on-the-ground data, leveraging community involvement to gather crucial data on insect pollinators, with the goal of shaping better ecological practices across Quebec’s agricultural landscape.
Stemming from grassroots efforts, Rondeau’s work on Abeilles Citoyennes is inseparable from her extensive background in pollinator research. Having completed her PhD in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph with Dr. Nigel Raine, Rondeau is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa researching the effects of pesticides and agricultural practices on native pollinators. Her current NSERC-funded research builds off several years in the field of pollinator biology, ecology, and toxicology with a focus on how agriculture and climate change affect ground-nesting bee populations, which make up the majority of native bee species.
Why focus on ground-nesting bees? Unlike the western honeybee, which is a relatively well-studied non-native agricultural species, we know much less about the 400 native bee species we have in Ontario and the 900 in Canada. Current agriculture regulations safeguard honeybees, but the gap in knowledge about our native species leaves them poorly protected, despite native bees providing a critical service for agriculture. Besides pollinating perennial and non-edible crops, native bees are the main pollinators for critical Canadian industries, including berries, tomatoes, and apples.
Rondeau’s research has brought vital attention to the fact that certain pesticides deemed safe for honeybees can be highly toxic to ground-nesting bees due to their different exposure routes. To address this threat, regulators need more information on how these pesticides affect ground-nesting bees to update what is considered “bee-safe.” Since over 80% of the native bee species in Ontario are ground-nesters, proper regulatory protections are a crucial step to develop farming practices that ensure pollinator health and diversity and sustainable food production for generations to come.
While regulation and policy changes are desperately needed to protect our native pollinators and their role in our food system, there are ways individual action can also support pollinators, both honeybees and native bees alike. For growers, read pesticide labels carefully, even the ones labeled as “bee-safe”. Consider joining a local pollinator project like Abeilles Citoyennes, whether the focus is planting beneficial perennials as habitat or collecting data samples on pollinators buzzing in your area.
Rondeau believes passionately in the importance of pollinators and educating Canadians on their role in our food system. “Bees are fascinating insects. They are also among the most economically important for agriculture. With a growing human population and rapid growth in global demand for pollination services, we urgently need to find the right balance between producing food efficiently and preserving healthy pollinator populations.” Rondeau credits her time as an Arrell Scholar for helping equip her with the communication tools necessary to share this passion and expertise in research and beyond.
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