World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20th and is used to remember Anton Jansa and other beekeeping pioneers’ contributions to understanding the importance of bees and other pollinators to our food supply, agricultural lands and our local garden landscapes. 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 local education programs. The City also provides projects to promote 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. Demonstration projects such as The Lake Arlington Native Plant and Pollinator Garden and the new Southwest Branch Library Pollinator Garden provide opportunities for residents to learn more about our native pollinators and plant communities through educational programs and volunteering opportunities. For more information about joining the Native Pollinator Identification Project or the Southwest Branch Library Pollinator Garden contact the stormwater educator at [email protected]. Information about the Lake Arlington Native Plant and Pollinator Garden can be found at www.arlingtontx.gov/city_hall/departments/water_utilities/knowledge_center/water_conservation.

On World Bee Day, residents are encouraged to take time to 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. 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:

•  Learning about Texas’s Native Bees. Visit https://www.wildbeestexas.com/
•  Joining the Native Pollinator Identification Project
•  Grow pollinator friendly flowers
•  Provide nest sites for pollinators
•  Avoid/reduce your usage of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.
•  Visit www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-protection-pledge to sign the pollinator protection pledge.
•  Pass on what you have learned to your friends and neighbors.