Manassas, Virginia’s City Council has voted to adopt a new designation: “Bee City USA.”
With that unanimous vote earlier this month, Manassas will join other “Bee Cities” nationwide in improving conditions for pollinating insects and hummingbirds.
The designation was created by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, in its effort to provide pollinators with a healthy habitat that’s insecticide-free and rich in native plants.
“Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world’s flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume,” the city said in a statement.
Raising awareness is part of the city’s obligation as a Bee City, so it’s holding a Bee Festival on Saturday, June 26, to spotlight their importance to the local ecosystem. The free event will feature music, arts and crafts, food, beer and — of course — mead.
Learn more about the event on the city’s website.
