Balls Falls Conservation Area (Niagara, Ontario)
Audio Bee Booth at Balls Falls (2012)
an amplified habitat installation for wild, solitary nesting bees and wasps
By Sarah Peebles. Assisted by Rob Cruickshank, electronics; John Kuisma, woodworking; Julie Kee, pyrography.
Location: On the hill behind the Centre for Conservation at Ball’s Falls Conservation Area | Jordan, Ontario (West of St. Catharines). Open 24/7 to the public during bee season, with park admission (free after 4:30 p.m.). Tel:905-562-5235.
A permanent installation. The booth contains magnifying lense, headphones and pamphlet. A booklet of Nest Notes which clarifies the woodburned illustrations on its surfaces is available from the desk upon request (viewing only copy). The concurrent environmental programme, It’s a Bee’s Life April 22 – June 27 (annual) incorporates the Audio Bee Booth into its curriculum.
Commissioned by Balls Falls for It’s Better with Bees! Bee Exhibit (2013). Generously supported by TD Friends for the Environment.
How to listen to bees: pamphlet Balls Falls Booth
Special thanks to Rob Cruickshank (above photos), Andrea Wilson and all the great staff at Balls Falls Conservation Area! More images and information posted at the RB Facebook page here and via Balls Falls.
Visitors of all ages investigate the booth’s inhabitants and adjacent flowering plants and habitat which support them. (Photo: Robert Winnegar)