When the topic of bees comes up in Chestermere, one name will come to mind…..Preston Pouteaux who loves bees as much as he loves our community. Pouteaux is a local hobby beekeeper who has a small (tens of thousands of bees small) colony in his gorgeous Rainbow Falls back yard. With his beautiful wife, Kelly, an avid gardener….the combination of a well maintained garden and a bee colony makes for happy bees and a gorgeous garden.
On April 12th, Pouteaux held a “Bee Talk” at the Chestermere Public Library where Chestermere residents young and old came and learned about bees and how to introduce them back to Chestermere. You are still not allowed to do commercial bee keeping within Chestermere city limits, but council is now allowing ‘garden scale’ bee keeping, which is no more than four beehives in a backyard, in our city. “It took no convincing of anybody, almost everybody on council and city staff saw that bees are allowed in Calgary and they are even on the grounds of Calgary City Hall – they’re pretty much in every major city because people realize that pollination is important”, explained Pouteaux.
Upon moving to Chestermere from Langdon, Pouteaux tells us that many people in the community began telling him that plants and such don’t grow well here due to bad soil but Pouteaux quickly came to realize that perhaps the problem was lack of bees.
“We need to be the kind of people that make this place beautiful. The green stuff was all stripped out when development occurred and now we need to reintroduce it”, said Pouteaux.
Most of Pouteaux’s presentation was on bee habitats and how to keep and attract bees into your yard. He showed a variety of ways to build and construction bee hotels or colonies and what materials work the best. But if you’re not into constructing something and actually housing them, you can create an inviting place for bees organically just by planting the right type of flowers and other plants in your yard.
Pouteaux explains, “There are over 20,000 species of bees in the world, but far fewer here in Alberta. With a mix of honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees who call Chestermere home, we have a chance to create gardens that support bees and other helpful pollinators such as butterflies. Lyndon Penner writes, “It’s totally possible for one person to make a positive difference for local pollinators. If you put bee-attracting plants in your garden, bees will appear!”
Here are some plants to help you start planting a bee-friendly garden in Chestermere:
Late spring to early summer: Chives / Clover / Dianthus / Larkspur / Lupine / Pea / Poppy / Alyssum / Viola
Mid-season: Bachelor’s Button / Basil / Black-eyed Susan / Gaillardia / Asclepias / Calendula / Echinacea / Cosmos / Dill / Foxglove / Monarda / Portulaca / Squash, pumpkin / Thyme / Coreopsis / Yarrow / Verbena / Petunia / Nasturtium / Nicotiana / Snapdragon / Catmint
Late season: Asters / Dahlia / Cleome / Marigold / Salvia / Scabiosa / Sunflower / Zinnia
Shrubs for a border: Honeysuckle / Dogwood / Mock orange / Roses
Additional Native plants and trees: chokecherry, clematis, delphinium, geraniums, goldenrod, hawthorn, joe pye, saskatoon berry, wild strawberry, allium, currants, cleome, and mountain hollyhock.
“Remember, one of the best gift you can give your flowers is good soil. The dirt most people have in their back yard is not soil, it does not have the nutrients needed to support flowering plants. Add compost, manure, and other organic mulch to create the best bee-friendly garden conditions”, adds Pouteaux.
Pouteaux also adds, “Lastly, avoid the use of pesticides on your garden. Pesticides either directly kill bees, or they get into the honeycomb of the beehive and cause the next generation of bees to be ill or die. If every yard in Chestermere found ways of encouraging pollinators, our city would be a thriving habitat and a happy place to call home”.
If you are going to set up hives in your yard, the city requires:
● Hives should be directed away from neighbouring properties.
● If your hives are within 20 feet of a property line, make sure there is a solid fence or vegetative obstruction at least 5 feet tall between the front of the hive and the property line.
Be particularly mindful of children or children’s play areas when placing your hive. Consider keeping the hive inconspicuous so as to minimize the hive’s visibility to curious visitors and vandals.
Pouteaux has created “The Chestermere Honey Bee Society” for all of those that have a passion for bees and for bringing them back to Chestermere. They have a Facebook page where you can learn about all things bees and share your photos and bee success www.facebook.com/chestermerehoneybeesociety/timeline
