We dare you to say that 10 times fast! As we come to the end of our Western Bumblebee Week, let’s take a trip to the grasslands of Saskatchewan—perfect habitat for western bumblebees. These Prairies are full of native flowering plants which provide both pollen and nectar for western bumblebees from early spring through late fall. Western bumblebees also nest underground and native grasslands tend to have less soil disturbance from humans, making them a perfect place for them to nest.
Today, get “buzzy” with these bumblebee activities!
1. Learn everything you need to know about the western bumblebee in this Wild Wire article
3. Take another close look at the article. Find the 1st word in the 3rd paragraph. Spelled backwards it is a CODE that you can redeem for a special reward in the Earth Rangers App! Don’t have the app yet? What are you waiting for? Download it here!
It’s not too late to symbolically adopt a western bumblebee to help support important conservation work in Saskatchewan!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
The Western Bumble bee lives in a variety of habitats, including flowering grasslands, savannas and alpine meadows of the western United States and western Canada.
How do you know it’s a Western Bumble bee? Like all insects, it has three main body parts, the head, thorax, and abdomen. Unlike other bumble bees, western bumble bees have white patches of hair on their abdomen.
Bees live in hives, or colonies, and the members of the hive are divided into three types: queen, worker, and drone. Each type has a specific job in the hive.
The queen runs the whole hive. Her most important job is laying eggs that will become the next generation of bees. She also releases chemicals that direct the movement and behaviour of other bees in the colony.
The worker bees are all female, and they have a variety of jobs in the colony. They forage for pollen and nectar, build the hive, as well as clean and maintain the hive. The drones are the male bees, and their job is to mate with the queen to produce more bees for the colony. They live in the hive during the spring and summer, but when winter comes, they are kicked out since they don’t help produce food.
Bees collect nectar from flowers and store it in their honey stomach. When back at the hive, they pass it mouth-to-mouth from bee to bee until the moisture content is reduced from 70% to 20%, changing it into honey!
If the queen bee dies, workers select a new queen by feeding a newly hatched larvae a special diet of ‘royal jelly’, allowing the larvae to develop into the fertile queen.
Bees play an important role in our environment by helping the pollination of flowering plants. Flowering plants need to be fertilized with pollen before they can make seeds and produce new plants. Bees transfer pollen between plants and so help with fertilization.
We’re working hard to bring the western bumblebee back to southern Saskatchewan by teaming up with Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC). By adopting a western bumblebee, you’ll help NCC purchase land that has been used for farming and transform it back into bumblebee habitats – that means planting native flowers, creating nesting spots and protected areas for overwintering. NCC will also help to educate people in Saskatchewan about how they can help the western bumblebee through their Conservation Volunteer and Indigenous Youth Education Programs.
Buzz buzz Earth Rangers! Are you ready to learn more about the unBEElievable world of bumblebees? Today’s lesson is all about their lifecycle, from wee bee babies all the way to grown up queens (and workers and drones of course)! Bumblebees are eusocial, which means they live in a colony of bees working together. Within their colony you’ll find a queen that produces the babies for the nest, workers that find food, care for young, and defend the nest, and drones that help the queen produce more young. Unlike honey bees, bumblebee colonies do not survive for more than 1 year. Instead, the colonies are annual, with queens emerging in the spring and producing new queens that same fall which will create new colonies for the following year.
The life cycle begins in the spring, when it starts to get warm outside and the queen comes out of hibernation. Once she has found a good nest, she begins looking for nectar and pollen. She uses the pollen to make a nest where she lays her first brood of eggs. The queen will raise this first brood of workers alone, incubating them, foraging for food, and defending the nest.
Three days after the queen lays the eggs, they hatch into larvae, who grow very fast, eating up to 1,300 meals a day! After just five days, the cells with the larvae are capped with beeswax, and the larvae spin a cocoon around themselves.
Inside their cocoon, the larvae are now called a pupae. Snuggled up inside the capped cell they begin to develop the features of an adult bee. The eyes, wings, and fine hairs that cover the bees’ body grow. Within just 12 days, development is complete and the adult bee chews its way out of the capped cell.
First comes the eggs..
Then the larva..
Then the pupa…
And finally, a bee emerges!
Once the first batch of worker bees hatch, the queen will no longer need to leave the hive. Instead, she will continue to lay eggs and organize the actions of her workers. She’s a real boss bee now! The workers continue to carry out work both inside and outside the hive, like cleaning, raising larvae, foraging for food, and defending the nest.
In the late summer, the queen begins producing eggs that are not workers. She lays eggs which will develop into new queens for the following year, as well as males (drones) to help the colony reproduce.
After the new batch of queens have
hatched and mated, they eat as much as they possibly can, storing the energy as
fat so they are able to hibernate during the long winter. The original queen
and nest naturally come to an end in the early fall, and only the new queens
survive by hibernating underground. Next
year, the process starts all over again, with the new queens emerging and
starting their own hive!
You’ve probably seen lots of creative ways people are connecting with friends and family while still practicing social distancing. Things like hanging pictures in windows, waving from cars, and video calling are just a few examples. For today’s eco activity, we want you to connect with friends or family by creating a forest friendly card by using only recycled or natural materials. Send it to them in the mail, leave it on their doorstep, or text them a picture of it to brighten their day!
The key is not to use any “new” paper products for this project. Canada is lucky enough to have some of the world’s healthiest and most beautiful forests. Let’s help keep it that way by reducing and reusing paper products!
Here’s how to make a homemade card:
Step 1: Find a base for your card, like cereal or snack boxes, paper plates or an old greeting card.
Step 2: Cut it into the shape you want.
Step 3: Write a kind message to a friend or family member.
Step 4: Decorate it with things from nature, like leaves, twigs and pine cones. You can use crayons to “rub” the imprint of leaves onto your card too!
Step 5: Decide on the best and safest way to send it along!
Don’t forget to share it on social media using the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals !
Bonus challenge: Make your own recycled paper by following these instructions.
Hurry! Tomorrow is the last day to get free shipping on all plushie adoption kits! You can help support important conservation work by purchasing an adoption kit for one of Canada’s amazing animals, like the Western Bumblebee and many other amazing animals through the Earth Rangers App or our estore! Just use code EM32020 at checkout!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Did you know that about 1 out of every 3 bites of food you eat was grown with the help of a bee? They pollinate flowers, fruits, and vegetables… these helpful insects are anything but pests!
Have you ever wondered how life as a bee would… well, BEE? Today is your chance to find out! Life in a busy, buzzing hive differs quite a bit from bee to bee! Though many might look similar at a quick glance, they actually have different goals and attitudes. Maybe you resemble a determined worker bee, an adventurous drone bee, or a total #bossbee… the Queen! Take this fun quiz to discover your place in the hive.
Compare your results with your family members and see if you agree! Post a picture of your family acting out their newly-found roles with the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals to get some buzz going about this powerful pollinator!
Every Earth Ranger knows that Earth Month is for the animals! Our Wildlife Adoptions Program educates kids and families about the importance of protecting biodiversity, highlights different species and conservation projects across Canada, and raises funds for research, species monitoring, and habitat conservation, and more!
Want to adopt an adorable bee to add to your hive at home? With FREE SHIPPING on our Wildlife Adoptions program until Wednesday, you’ll save on supporting the conservation of the Western Bumblebee. Just use code EM32020 on checkout!
Your adoption will help support the creation of bumblebee habitat full of flowers, nesting spots, and protected overwintering sites to help restore endangered bee populations.
Don’t forget about Earth Rangers LIVE ONLINE today at 2pm EST on our Facebook page!
Earth Rangers Sarah and Bailey will be back with more fun featuring one of our animal ambassadors, LIVE from the Earth Rangers Centre!
How we’re helping Western Bumblebees:
The western bumblebee is a habitat generalist, which means it can live in a wide variety of ecosystems, from mountains to forests to prairie grasslands. But even though they’re not picky about where they live, western bumblebee numbers have been shrinking due to habitat loss and fragmentation, as well increasing agriculture and pesticide use. This species was once considered one of the most common and widespread bumblebees in western Canada, and we need your help to bring it back.
That’s where you come in! Earth Rangers is working with Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) to restore this important species throughout southern Saskatchewan. When you adopt a western bumblebee, you will help NCC to acquire lands once dedicated to agriculture and transform them back into pristine bumblebee habitat with native flowers, nesting spots, and protected areas where the bees can survive over winter.
Funds raised will be used towards activities like planting herbaceous flowering plants, building artificial bumblebee nest structures to encourage the establishment of colonies, and educating people in Saskatchewanians about how we can help this crucial species through NCC’s Conservation Volunteer and Indigenous Youth Education Programs.
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Have you ever wondered where you’d fit in if you called a bee colony home? Learn more about bees below and take the quiz at the end to find out! Post your results in the comments and let us know!
Queen
The queen bee
is the boss of the hive. She has the selfless role of being the reproductive
centre of the entire hive. Her job is to lay about 1500 eggs PER DAY and only
leaves the hive once in her life to mate. To be the queen, no special training
is required, it’s a matter of luck. They become queens because they are laid in
special cells of the hive that are bigger than the others, and are randomly
picked to be fed a substance called royal jelly instead of the larval honey
that the other larvae receive. Queen bees also release special chemicals called
pheromones within the hive, which direct the social and behavioural actions of
the other bees.
This flower is BEE-utiful!
Worker
Worker bees
play a very important role in the hive. These bees are all females, and are
responsible for every job in the hive except reproduction. They have different
jobs within the hive, including guards to defend the hive, nursing bees and
feeding growing larvae, cleaning the hive, cleaning other bees, and collecting
nectar, pollen, and water. They really live up to the phrase, ‘busy as a bee’!
Gotta get that nectar!!
Drone
The drone’s
life is a little simpler than that of the worker. Their only role is to mate
with the queen so the hive can reproduce. There are about 100 female worker
bees for every drone bee. Drones are incapable of feeding themselves or
foraging for food. They also don’t have stingers and therefore cant defend
themselves or the hive. They die as soon as they’ve mated with the queen. When
times are tough, or the weather gets cold, drones are kicked out of the hive by
worker bees, leaving them to starve.
As the weather starts getting warmer this spring, it can be really easy to forget about how important the Arctic is! While we may not always love living in chilly climates, they are incredibly important for the biodiversity of our planet since many unique species actually thrive in these conditions. One of the species is our friend the Arctic fox! Take some time today to ~chill out~ and go through these cool activities with your family:
1. Arctic foxes can be tough to spot leaping through snowy landscapes. Can you find the hidden words in this wintery wordsearch? Click the image below to download this activity!
2. Test your knowledge of the amazing Arctic Fox habitat way up north with this quiz! You’ll be rewarded with 20 bonus points in the Earth Rangers App if you get a solid score!
3. Want to see some quick clips of the Arctic fox in action and learn how you can get involved in helping them? Take a look at this video:
4. Share your new favourite fact about Arctic habitats or the Arctic fox on social media to help raise awareness of protecting them with the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals
Wanna lend a helping paw to some pups in need? You can help support important research by purchasing an Arctic fox adoption kit, through our Earth Rangers App or our estore.
Take advantage of our FREE SHIPPING this week only, in celebration of Earth Week!! Plushie adoption kits include a certificate and a poster, and when you make your purchase through the Earth Rangers App your child will also earn points to help them level up on their Earth Rangers journey—plus a set of virtual rewards they can show off!
Your adoption will help support McGill University researcher Emily Choy as she examines the effects of climate change on a common Arctic fox prey species—thick-billed murres—on Coats Island in the Arctic. Arctic foxes are frequently seen cruising the shores of Coats Island looking for seabird nests, where they will feast on murre eggs during the summer when colonies nest in the thousands. Protecting the integrity of these colonies is crucial in ensuring that this food source remains stable for Arctic foxes.
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Thirsty? When you choose tap water, you can help our planet AND save money. Did you know that some bottled water is just filtered tap water? That’s right! If you drink from packaged bottles, you’re paying thousands of times more for water that you can get RIGHT from your tap! Aside from the cost benefits of drinking from the tap, bottled water does damage to our planet and the animals that live here.
Did you know that buying bottled water can pollute animals’ homes, make them sick and contribute to climate change?
Plastic water bottles create a lot of waste; about 90% of plastic water bottles are thrown in the garbage. Once the bottles arrive at landfills, they can take about 1,000 years to break down. That means that none of the 54 billion plastic water bottles sold in Canada have even started to break down yet.
Plastic water bottles also affect animals. It is estimated that in each square kilometer of the ocean, there are about 46,000 plastic pieces floating around. A lot of animals mistake these for food. Many turtles, seabirds (like penguins and pelicans), whales, seals, and otters have plastic in their stomach, making them sick and hard for them to survive.
Some people drink bottled water since they think it tastes better than tap water… but most of us can’t tell the difference! Put your taste buds to the test! Take the Water Taste Challenge and find out if your friends and family can taste the difference between tap and bottled water.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
1. Prepare your taste test station with two water pitchers, one labeled A and one B. You can print off labels here or make your own with scrap paper You’ll be the only one who knows which jug is which. Don’t reveal it until the test is done.
2. Make sure your bottled water and tap water have been in the fridge 2-3 hours before the test, since temperature affects taste.
3. Pour water from each jug into separate cups for each person to try. Record the favourites on a simple chart with the names of your family members to see which is the clear water winner… if there even is one!
4. Take the Clear Choice Pledge (Link to Pledge PDF) to avoid bottled water and drink delicious tap water whenever possible!
5. Take a photo of your family doing the water taste challenge and share it with the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals to raise awareness of the benefits of turning to the tap!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Climate change is changing everything, and young Canadians have something to say about it.
Earth Rangers, the largest kids’ conservation organization, is all about giving the next generation of our planet’s stewards a voice, and a platform to make themselves heard. On March 16, the non-profit organization launched “The Big Melt”—a brand new podcast for Canadian tweens and teens to explore topics like climate science, mitigation and adaptation, and what youth and other organizations across the country are doing in the fight against this global threat.
Funded in part by Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Climate Action Fund, the podcast follows high schooler and host Sarah Marks as she breaks down the what’s, when’s, how’s and why’s of climate change, speaking to climate experts, Indigenous leaders, eco-entrepreneurs, and other brilliant minds that are reimagining the future. She also addresses climate change as the challenge of her generation, and talks through the pervasive feelings of eco-anxiety, helplessness, and urgency to fix the problem before it’s too late.
“On the heels of the success of the Earth Rangers Podcast for elementary-aged kids, the Big Melt captures the growing sense of concern, responsibility and activism towards the climate crisis among Canada’s middle and high school students. The youth featured on this podcast represent just a tiny sampling of the tens of thousands of inspiring young people across Canada working tirelessly to build a better future.”
Since 2018, the Climate Action Fund has awarded funding to support innovative ideas. The objective of projects funded under the program is to raise awareness of climate change and to build capacity in order to increase climate actions that contribute to
Canada’s clean growth and climate change plan (the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change).
Today is our favourite day of the year, because we get to celebrate our beautiful planet and all of the amazing animals that we share it with. So today, we’ve got two awesome Earth-loving, animal-saving, do-gooding activities for you!
1. Adopt an animal through our Wildlife Adoptions program!
This program educates children about the importance of biodiversity, highlights different species and conservation projects across Canada, and raises funds for things like research, species monitoring, and habitat conservation. Pick an animal you’d love to support and symbolically adopt one to receive your adorable plush companion in the mail!
Post a photo of your favourite animal in our Wildlife Adoptions Program with the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals to encourage your friends and family to learn about your animal-saving journey and maybe even get in on the action themselves. The more people involved, the more animals we can work together to save! Learn more about our programs here.
2. If you’re not an official Earth Ranger yet, become one!
It’s easy, free, and we’ll even send you a personalized membership card you can show off with pride! Download the App and register to get started!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Post a photo of your family completing your first mission together with the hashtag #EarthMonthforAnimals to spread the love!
ANNOUNCING EARTH RANGERS LIVE ONLINE!
And there is more great news! While we aren’t doing in-person school presentations, we will be bringing our animal ambassadors straight into your home via Facebook LIVE! Check out our video of our first Livestream here!
Want to participate in our next live event? Like our page on Facebook and tune in this Monday, April 27th at 2PM EST for our next virtual meet and greet with our animal team, LIVE from the Earth Rangers Centre.
Join in to learn more about some amazing animal behaviors and toss out some questions about them! Invite your friends to join in with us by clicking SHARE on our live video.
Happy Earth day from all your furry, flying, and fun friends at Earth Rangers!