These are just a few of the 50 species of insects spotted for the first time in the park in 2021, according to park officials. But despite their often creepy names, none of the new species worry local scientists. In fact, University of New Brunswick entomologist and biology professor Stephen Heard said the discovery of so many insects arriving at the park is good news. “The vast majority of these new insects are fine. They are insects that are part of the natural environment.” And, he said, many of these have probably been around for a long time without being formally noticed by scientists. The Canadian mining bee was one of 19 bee species identified for the first time in Fundy National Park in 2021. (Denis Doucet/Parks Canada) “We know very little about insects,” said Heard, who was not involved in the Fundy project. “And so it may be new species that have attracted because of it [the park’s] pollinator garden work. They may have been species that were always there that we didn’t know about.” Heard said it’s not unusual for new species of insects to move through New Brunswick, and the vast majority are not problematic. “Most of these species we’re talking about here are natural insects that just haven’t been recorded in the Fundy before,” he said. “We didn’t know they were there, and they showed up and that’s great.” Looking over Fundy’s list of new species, Heard said, there were many that were unknown to him, including every one of the fly species. The list also includes bees, beetles, moths, wasps and butterflies. More than half of all new species were identified in the park’s pollinator garden, a 400-square-meter area that includes about 80 native plant species. Pollinators can also include birds, but Neil Vinson, resource manager for Fundy National Park, said no bird species were added to the list in 2021. Fundy National Park’s Pollinator Garden is home to approximately 80 native plant species. (Submitted by Julie Ouellette) While none of the species are considered invasive, if any of the newly identified insects are indeed new to the park, their arrival could change things for some other species. Cuckoo bees, for example, lay their eggs with the eggs of other species. When they hatch, the larvae feed on the host’s eggs. Other species in the park are predators, such as bee wolves, which are also known as bee-killing wasps because they feed on bees. Heard said it’s possible that if a species is indeed new to Fundy — or New Brunswick — a similar species probably already exists. Many of the newly identified bee species, for example, are quite similar to each other and to many other species. “There are probably 25,000 species of insects in New Brunswick,” Hurd said. “This is complete speculation. No one knows the answer.” This, he said, is where “citizen science” comes in. With so many eyes — both human eyes and iPhones — it’s inevitable that new species in the area will be discovered and recorded with the help of online applications. Biologist Stephen Hurd said none of the new species in Fuddy pose a threat to the local ecosystem. (Gary Moore/CBC) Heard said this is very useful when it comes to identifying new invasive species that could threaten “our ecosystems or our livelihoods.” He said it can also help scientists “understand how our natural systems will change as our climate changes.” “We can’t know how it’s changed 20 years from now unless we know what it looks like now. And so there’s a basic data aspect to it.” Vinson agreed. “I think it’s important to keep an eye on it, because how do we know what we’re missing if we don’t know what we have to begin with?” Vinson works in Fundy Park’s pollinator garden, where more than half of the new species were discovered. (Submitted by Julie Ouellette) He also believes we’re just “scratching the surface in terms of understanding what’s out there.” Vinson hopes the pollinator garden will help inspire New Brunswickers to add native species to their gardens. “Without native plants, we don’t have bugs. Without bugs, we don’t have birds. And it just goes up the line from there. …We’re part of that food chain, too. And without them, we suffer, too.”
