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Sheila Colla (1982 - 6 July 2025) at York University was a Canadian conservation biologist specialising in wild bumblebees and an advocate for increasing diversity in entomology. Her work led to the first listing of a bumblebee as endangered in both Canada and the USA.
Early life and education
[edit]Sheila Rafaella Colla was born May 4, 1982 to parents who came from Trinidad and Italy and were teachers.[1] She was brought up in the Greater Toronto area of Canada. She was interested in nature from a young age and studied zoology at University of Toronto, graduating in 2005. She focused on biodiversity and went on to study for a doctoral degree in York University with Laurence Packer[2], graduating in 2012.[3]
Scientific career
[edit]Colla was appointed to York University in 2015, after working at University of Toronto between 2014 and 2015. She was a tenured assistant professor at York University, holding a research chair in interdisciplinary conservation science.[4] She was also executive committee member at the university's Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation.[5]
Her research since 2004 focused on bees, especially wild bee population biology, conservation and their roles as pollinators and in sustainable agriculture. In her PhD research, she recorded the decline in Rusty-patched Bumble Bee[6] using museum specimens and field observations[7] and used it to raise public awareness, resulting in this species being listed as endangered in the USA and Canada in 2012. The reasons for the very substantial decline of this species are partly understood.[8] She was the North American Coordinator for the IUCN Red List Bumblebee Specialist Group.[4] Colla also studied community science programmes and stakeholder perception, including writing books about bumblebees for the general public. She was active in raising awareness of the need for more diversity within the academic community of entomologists.[1][9]
She was co-founder of Bumble Bee Watch in 2014, a community science project with over 5,000 observers created to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees that has received media attention.[10][11][12][13] Her public outreach also addressed strategies for improving Canadian landscapes for insects, particularly in gardens and urban locations.[14][15]
Personal life
[edit]She married Marc Michalak in 2011 and they had 2 children. She died July 6, 2025.
Publications
[edit]Colla was the author or co-author of 3 books, 2 book chapters and over 50 scientific publications. The books include:
- Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla (2023) A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators, Island Press, pp. 264
- Lorraine Johnson, Sheila Colla and Ann Sanderson (2022) A Garden for the Rusty-patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators, Douglas & McIntyre.
- Paul H. Williams, Robbin W Thorp, Leif L. Richardson and Sheila R Colla (2014) Bumblebees of North America: an identification guide. Princeton University Press. pp. 208 Awarded the American Library Association Outstanding Reference Source Award in 2015.[16]
Her scientific publications include:
- Victoria J MacPhail, Richard Hadfield, Sheila R Colla (2024) Bumble Bee Watch community science program increases scientific understanding of an important pollinator group across Canada and the USA. PlosONE 19, e0303335.
- Victoria J MacPhail, Sheila R Colla (2020) Power of the people: A review of citizen science programs for conservation. Biological Conservation 249, 108739
- Jeremy T Kerr, Alana Pindar, Paul Galpern, Laurence Packer, Simon G Potts, Stuart M Roberts, Pierre Rasmont, Oliver Schweiger, Sheila R Colla, Leif L Richardson, David L Wagner, Lawrence F Gall, Derek S Sikes, Alberto Pantoja(2015) Climate change impacts on bumblebees converge across continents Science 349 (6244), 177-180
- Bartomeus, Ascher, J. S., Wagner, D., Danforth, B. N., Colla, S.R., Kornbluth, S., & Winfree, R. (2011). Climate-associated phenological advances in bee pollinators and bee-pollinated plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108 (51), 20645–20649.
- Colla, S.R. & Packer, L. (2008). Evidence for decline in eastern North American bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with special focus on Bombus affinis Cresson. Biodiversity and Conservation, 17 (6), 1379–1391.
Awards and honours
[edit]Colla was awarded the Entomological Society of Canada C. Gordon Hewitt Award in 2021 for outstanding contribution to entomology in Canada within 12 years of being awarded a PhD.[7], the President’s Research Impact Award from York University in 2024 for the way her research had influenced government policy[17], an Ontario Nature Education award in 2024[18] and the NSERC Award for Science Promotion in 2024[19] She received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Liliefeldt, Mimi (17 April 2024). "Black Lives Here: Dr. Sheila Colla, entomologist, professor and social justice champion, takes on cancer battle". Beach Metro Community News. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "Laurence Packer lab - current and past members". York University. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "Obituary". Heritage Funeral Center.
- ^ a b "Sheila R. Colla". York University. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "Sheila R. Colla". York University. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ Colla, S R; Packer, L (2008). "Evidence for decline in eastern North American bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with special focus on Bombus affinis Cresson". Biodiversity and Conservation. 17 (6): 1379–1391. Bibcode:2008BiCon..17.1379C. doi:10.1007/s10531-008-9340-5. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Sheila Colla C. Gordon Hewitt Award /Prix C. Gordon Hewitt" (PDF). Bulletin - Entomological Society of Canada. 53 (3): 128. 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "Rusty-patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2022". Government of Canada. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "Women in Conservation – Dr. Sheila Colla". Society for Conservation Biology North America. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ MacPhail, Victoria J.; Hatfield, Richard; Colla, Sheila R. (2024). "Bumble Bee Watch community science program increases scientific understanding of an important pollinator group across Canada and the USA". PlosONE. 19 (5): e0303335. Bibcode:2024PLoSO..1903335M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0303335. PMC 11111064. PMID 38776282.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link) - ^ "Colla Conservation Science Lab". Colla Conservation Science Lab. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ Munro, Margaret. "To bee or not to bee: Endangered species vanishing without explanation". Ottowa Citizen. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "What a buzz: How to help save the bees with your smartphone". Canadian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ Colla, Sheila (13 May 2022). "The surprising downside of #NoMowMay". Rewilding. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ Johnson, Lorraine; Colla, Sheila. "All about bees: Common misconceptions, helping pollinators and how to actually 'save the bees'". Canadian Geographic. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "Celebrating Sheila". Colla Conservation Science lab. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "York honours 68 outstanding faculty members at the annual Research Awards Celebration". York University. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "Education Award". Ontario Nature. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "NSERC Awards for Science Promotion - Winners 2024 Dr. Sheila Colla — Associate Professor, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University". Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ^ "Universities Canada congratulates recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal". Universities Canada. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.