Bee City USA

 BEEtopia 2027

Mark your calendars:

DATE TBD
8 a.m. - 12 noon 
Gastonia Farmers Market, 410 E. Long Avenue

Bee City USA Resources

As a Bee City USA Affiliate, the City of Gastonia and Keep Gastonia Beautiful are thinking globally and acting locally, to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. Click on the link below to be taken to valuable resources and information on anything from protecting our pollinators to learning who to contact about swarms of bees! 
BEE sure to check out our list of bee and pollinator related resources.

Fun facts about bees:

1. Approximately one-third of the food we eat is the result of honey bee pollination

2. In their 6-8 week lifespan, a worker bee will fly the equivalent distance of 1 ½ times the circumference of the Earth.

3. A single bee will produce only about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

4. Honey bees don’t sleep. Instead, they spend their nights motionless, conserving energy for the next day’s activities.

5. A single ounce of honey could fuel a honey bee’s flight all the way around the world.

6. Bees have 5 eyes

7. Bees are insects, so they have 6 legs

8. Bees fly about 20 mph

9. Bees have been here for about 30 million years!

10. An average beehive can hold around 50,000 bees

11. Bees are important because they pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the US including fruit, fiber, nut, and vegetable crops. Bee pollination adds approximately 14 billion dollars annually to improved crop yield and quality.

Meet Miss Polly Nator 

This educational puppett, was provided by a generous grant from the Glenn Foundation. 
Miss Polly Nator is available for school and educational programming throughout the year.  

The City of Gastonia has taken the Mayor Monarch Pledge.

In partnership with the Gaston County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers, we are working together to expand milkweed growth throughout Gastonia to help support monarch butterflies and other important pollinators. By planting native milkweed species in parks, gardens, and community spaces, we can create vital habitat for monarchs during their migration and life cycle.