Postal stamps: bees and bumble bees in Canada and USA

Canadian flag in postal stamps. Postal stamps: bees and bumble bees in Canada and USA

Canada. More than 250 years has been running the mail in this country that did not start with these so elegant stamps on paper, but with post horses which were delivering news from the colony of Canada to Britain.

We have concentrated to collect in this post those stamps related to bees and bumblebees.

Our first selection is a postcard series that includes a Canadian bear, the famous «honey-addited» Winnie the Pooh, acquired by a British military in Canada when he was just a young bear, and donated by him to the London Zoo. There the bear was frequently visited by the author’s son (Alan A.Milne), hence the idea and character. The bear was named Winnie, due to the Canadian state of origin, Winnipeg.

Winnie the Pooh in canadian postal stamps

The Canadian postal service has not been forgotten to the bumblebees. In this case a Bombus polaris, also known as Arctic Bumblebee, which inhabits a few geographic areas somewhat peculiar as Canada, Alaska and the Arctic islands, North of Scandinavia and Russia, so no wonder all the hair that covers its body. Its great ecological value si tha pollinates the flora of the Arctic, and in any of its flowers exclusively. Another features are its little aggressiveness and the mechanism used to resist the low temperatures, consistent in moving its body muscles related to the flight to produce heat. Issue of this stamp of Bumblebee belongs to the the year 2007, within a collection dedicated to the beneficial insects.

Canadian stamp with the polaris bumblebee

Bees and bumble bees in flower. We could not find more of these three stamps that appear below, but we will insist until we find the information.

Canadian stamps. Bees and flowers

Canadian stamps. Bees and flowers_1

Canadian stamps. Bumblebees and flowers_1

Beekeeping in Canada. In a country as large and extensive, most of the honey produced comes from prairie areas. Honey production and pollination services are its most important activities. The annual harvest is estimated in 60 kilograms of honey per hive. There are major problems of winter mortality. The trend is the increase in hives and the decrease in the number of beekeepers.We want to emphasize the importance of other bees as the blue Orchid bee or another one named cutting-leaves of alfalfa bee in pollination services.

Postage stamp with USA flag

United States of America. None other than Benjamin Franklin was named in 1775 chief of the postal service. Since then, they have had time to delight us with different postal stamps of bees, pollinators and even one dedicated to the hair- style calle beehive. We really miss any issue of the pollination work of these insects.

Postal stamp devoted to honey bee in 1988. We believe that they could be much more, since in this country many states of the union like the honeybee as their favorite bug, as happens in Arkansas and North Carolina since 1973.Three other states did in 1975, Georgia, Maine and Nebraska. And other states have continued the tradition.

Postal stamp with honey bee

Postal stamp tribute to the beehive hair-style. In the 50s and 60s of the 20th century an american stylist introduced this new concept.

Beehive hair style postal stamp

Postal stamp tribute to pollinators (2007).Two bumblebees known as Morrison (Bombus morrisoni). The bees are not the only pollinators, other insects like wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and beetles are good pollinators. Hummingbirds and some bats surprised us with its pollinating function.

Postal stamp with american pollinators

Beekeeping in the United States of North America. Just as in Canada, pollination services play an important role, with the transhumance of hives as a factor to highlight.