The Land and Food Systems Orchard Garden (LFSOG) is an on-campus agricultural space that can be considered a partner of the UBC Farm. It is a space that grows a range of crops and aims to meet similar goals, though on a smaller-scale, of the UBC Farm as part of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems1. Goals include increasing awareness of urban agriculture and food security, providing an educational space and developing sustainable agroecosystem research.1
The LFSOG currently has one active honeybee hive and there has been interest to add a second bee hive to the site. In the midst of concern of honeybee collapse, research involving honeybees in agroecosystems is especially worthwhile. The objective of this project is to determine whether or not the LFSOG can support a second honeybee hive, and what could potentially be done to increase the success and sustainability of the bee hive. The approach to answering this question is explained below.
Methods and Materials
In order to determine whether or not it is viable to host an additional bee hive at the LFSOG, it is important to approach the question from a variety of different perspectives. Namely, we investigated the ecological, economical, and social sustainability aspects of the proposition. Having this range of information provided us with sufficient understanding to address the overarching issue at hand.
In order to acquire this knowledge, we referred to scientific, peer-reviewed papers from academic sources, extension services offered by various universities and provinces/states, and consulted with local experts in the field. A special thanks to Anelyse Weiler of the UBC Farm, Leanna Killoran of the LFSOG and Martin Hilmer of the LFS Faculty is undoubtedly in order. Their much appreciated knowledge and kindness made major contributions to this project, and allowed it to meet it’s full potential.
Where to go from here: To access our research, please refer to the ecological, social and economic sustainability tabs. To access our conclusion and final recommendation to the LFSOG, please refer to Recommendation.