Celebrate 2023 World Bee Day on Saturday, May 20
By Melissa Walker, Environmental Education Specialist
Posted on May 17, 2023, May 17, 2023

Celebrate 2023 World Bee Day on Saturday, May 20

World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20th in honor of Anton Jansa who is considered a pioneer of modern beekeeping. This day is used to help raise awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinators to our food supply, agricultural lands and our local garden landscapes.

Residents should take time to learn about the different species of bees that are found all over the world, but they should also learn about Texas’s native bees and other pollinators.

Texas has over 700 native bee species including bumble bees, carpenter bees, long-horned bees, leafcutter bees and mason bees. Bees and a variety of other insects are responsible for pollinating 85% of flowering plants and more than 70% of the world’s agricultural crops. Pollination is the process by which plants produce seeds and thus reproduce. A variety of animals help facilitate this process and they are called pollinators. Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles and hummingbirds provide essential pollination services however these pollinators face increasing threats from intensive farming practices, land-use changes, habitat loss and degradation, introduced diseases and other pathogens, and the misuse of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

The Arlington Bee City USA committee and the City’s Stormwater Education Specialist have developed the native pollinator identification project which will help identify bee and other pollinator species found in the City of Arlington. This program is using the iNaturalist phone app to gather and utilize species data to promote education awareness programs. This project promotes the use of native and adapted plants to create new pollinator habitat and encourage the adoption of integrated pest management strategies to reduce pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer use. For more information about joining the Native Pollinator Identification Project contact the stormwater education specialist at [email protected].

 Remembering Anton Jansa’s contributions and other beekeeping pioneers should be an important part of celebrating World Bee Day, but we should also use this day to learn how to protect bees and other pollinators and pledge to help create and conserve pollinator habitat.

Arlington residents, business owners and other property owners can help bees and other pollinators by:

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