Sheila Colla
PhD candidate, York University
Honours B.Sc. in Zoology, University of Toronto
e-mail: scolla@yorku.ca
Research Interests:
Sheila is pursuing a PhD in Biology at York University under the supervision of Dr. Packer. Her projects include determining to what extent the Rusty-Patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) has declined throughout its native range and how bumblebee species diversity has changed in southern Ontario, Canada over the past 100 years. She is also interested in determining habitat associations and requirements for each eastern species in order to aid future conservation efforts. The possible causes for decline which she is currently looking into include pesticide use, disease susceptibility, habitat loss and climate change. For more information, please visit her website www.savethebumblebees.com.
Publications:
- Colla, S.R. (submitted) Status Report for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee (Bombus affinis). For the Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), Environment Canada.
- Colla, S.R. & C.M. Ratti (accepted) Evidence for the decline of the Western Bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis Greene) in British Columbia
- Ratti, C.M. & S.R.Colla (accepted) The presence of an eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, in western Canada
- Colla, S.R., E.Willis, & L.Packer. 2009. Can green roofs provide habitat for urban bees? Cities and the Environment 2:1 [Online] http://escholarship.bc.edu/cate/vol2/iss1/4/
- Williams, P., S.R. Colla & Z. Xie. 2009. Bumblebee vulnerability: common correlates of winners and losers across three continents. Conservation Biology 23: 931-940. [abstract]
- Colla, S.R. & L. Packer. 2008. Evidence for decline in eastern North American bumblebees (Hymenoptera:Apidae), with special focus on Bombus affinis Cresson. Biodiversity and Conservation 17: 1379-1391. [abstract]
- Colla, S.R., M.C. Otterstatter, R.J. Gegear & J.D. Thomson. 2006. Plight of the bumble bee: Pathogen spillover from commercial to wild populations. Biological Conservation 129: 461-467. [abstract]
- Otterstatter, M.C., R.J. Gegear, S.R. Colla & J.D. Thomson. 2005. The effects of two parasites (Crithidia bombi and Locustacarus buchneri) on bumblebee foraging behaviour. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 58: 383-389. [abstract]
Favourite Recipe:
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately. (from www.foodnetwork.com)
Funniest Research Story:
Things people have said when they saw me surveying bumblebees on flowers around the city:
- "Why? Don't they sting?!!"
- "Are you going to make jewelry out of them?"
- "Why don't you study butterflies instead?"
- "Are you removing them because they are hurting the flowers?"
- "There's more than one type of bee???"
- "I saw a bumblebee once down the road/in my backyard/ around the corner/on a flower, etc."