- May 8, 2015 - Insectarium : Champions of nature
Bees fascinate us… The little insects work without a break, are indispensable to the pollination of fruiting plants, and some of them, of course, produce the honey we’re so fond of. The Insectarium is the perfect place to discover their buzzing world.
Québec’s bees
There are more than 400 species of native bees in Québec. Most of them are not “social.” They live alone, a bit like flies or butterflies. But all of them are outstanding pollinators. Of course, the best-known of the species is Apis mellifera, the honeybee, which is not native to Québec, but of European origin. It lives in hives and produces honey for the colony.
Miel Montréal: a partner of the Insectarium
Over the summer of 2014, the Insectarium acquired three honeybee hives. Beekeepers from Miel Montréal, a non-profit organization offering beekeeping support and education services, are the custodians. The Miel Montréal team developed an activity in collaboration with the Insectarium that allows visitors to recognize a bee from a wasp and to understand the process of honey production and the importance of bees in plant pollination.
An unforgettable experience!
Thanks to the new partnership with Miel Montréal, visitors to the Insectarium can safely get close to a beehive and see the bees hard at work. Afterwards, participants enjoy the ultimate experience: tasting honey produced by these little nectar gatherers. I can personally assure you that Montreal honey is delicious.
A local product for the kitchen
The honey produced by our bees is used in the Jardin botanique restaurant for creating tasty recipes served to its guests. And on the subject of local food, there’s nothing fresher than an ingredient produced by Insectarium bees who’ve fed on Jardin botanique flowers!
Ready for the summer of 2015
Our bees kept nice and warm all winter inside their hives. The teams from the Insectarium and Miel Montréal have made sure that they’ve been well protected. But we’re really looking forward to seeing their wintertime rest come to an end and to sharing our fascination for bees with our visitors once again this summer!
Come and meet the bees during the activity Fantastic Foragers!
