UNF hosts bee workshop on World Bee Day to celebrate Bee Campus USA Affiliation
The University of North Florida Ogier Gardens and Botanical Garden will host a World Bee Day event to celebrate the University’s recent achievement of Bee Campus USA Affiliation and to educate the public about creating bee and pollinator-friendly environments at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 20, at the UNF Frederick and Ophelia Tate Ogier Gardens.
The event will feature an educational workshop on bee conservation and basic beekeeping skills from local beekeeper Greg Harris, a honey tasting, and a building activity where participants will be guided to build “bee hotels” to take home and attract native bees in their own backyards.
The Bee Campus USA affiliation, which includes universities around the country, will be renewed on an annual basis and signifies UNF’s commitment to raising awareness about protecting pollinators in the Northeast Florida area, creating habitats with native plants and practicing an environmentally friendly pest management plan.
The Bee Campus USA program is affiliated with Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon. Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities and campuses around the nation to sustain pollinators by providing them with a healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free from pesticides.