Bee City USA

06/22/2026

We're excited to see what you are all doing to celebrate Pollinator Week! Here is some inspiration from Bee City USA - Bloomington, IN and Bee Campus USA - IU Bloomington. City of Bloomington, IN - Parks and Recreation Indiana University

Page last updated on June 16, 2026 at 2:36 pm June 16, 2026 For more information, please contact Joanna Sparks, Urban Greenspace Manager, Parks and Recreation[email protected] or 812-349-3497Desiree DeMolina, Communications Director, City of Bloomington[email protected] or 812-349-3406 BioBlitz, ...

06/22/2026

Happy Pollinator Week! 🐝🌸

Pollinators need us to provide habitat, safe food, and fewer chemicals in our landscapes. Small actions add up. 🌼🐝

Take the Pollinator Protection Pledge at bringbackthepollinators.org

# BeeCampusUSA

06/18/2026

Careful with those dead plant stems; they are bee homes! 🐝

30% of solitary native bees nest in tunnels above the ground! Small carpenter bees (Ceratina species), mason bees (Osmia species), and others like to make their homes inside preexisting tunnels (like old beetle burrows in trees) or the stems of plants like raspberries and roses.

So what do you do if your raspberry or rose plants get damaged, or happen to be at risk for whatever reason? Don’t worry! After several years of experimentation, Xerces staff member Sara Morris has developed a system for relocating these nests!

Learn how ➡️ beecityusa.org/blog

06/15/2026

Great work, Charlottesville Parks and Recreation!

The project, located on over an acre of the former McIntire golf course, aims to increase biodiversity and provide a habitat for pollinators, birds, and other small animals.

06/12/2026

We are learning that some monarchs do fly back from Florida! 🦋

Monarchs are famous for migrating to their overwintering sites in Mexico and California, but every year, some actually end their journeys in Florida. It’s always been a bit of a mystery what happens to these butterflies. One idea is that they and their offspring stay in Florida and get absorbed into a year-round residential population that never leaves.

But thanks to new Bluetooth radio tags, Xerces scientists discovered that monarchs that overwintered in the panhandle and north-central Florida had offspring that flew north this spring, with one making it as far as Alabama!

Depending on the numbers of monarchs emerging and migrating north from Florida, these migrants could add to populations in the Northeast, but there is a risk. A high percentage of monarchs in many Florida cities and suburbs are infected with a protozoan parasite called OE. OE is spread largely from non-native tropical milkweed. Native milkweeds die back each winter, killing off the parasites, but tropical milkweed does not, leading to a buildup of parasites.

Thankfully, we’ve found that monarchs overwintering in Florida’s natural areas with native plants had low levels of OE! Floridians should continue to support the conservation of public lands in their state, and replace tropical milkweed with native species.

Learn more about this discovery ➡️ beecityusa.org/blog

06/10/2026

Hey there SoCal area friends! Xerces Society has free Habitat Kits for your area!

Xerces provides carefully selected, native, and regionally appropriate plants to partners with shovel-ready projects- plants and resources to folks with the interest, experience, and land. Bee Cities and Bee Campuses have received kits in the past and are *highly encouraged* to submit a proposal.

Not in this region? We have kits for multiple regions of the US. Learn more or submit a proposal at xerces.org > Resources > Habitat Kits OR use the link in our bio!

🌞Qualifying projects: Residential properties, school yards, community gardens, and urban gardens
🌞Qualifying counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Kern
🌞Special kit features: Supports monarch butterflies, bumble bees, and other native pollinators
🌞Project proposals: June 1 - June 30, 2026
🌞Kit pickup: November / December

Please feel free to share with anyone you think might qualify.

06/09/2026

Now this endangered species will have protected habitat across six states! 🐝🎉

Since the rusty patched bumble bee was listed as endangered in 2017, conservationists, scientists, and advocates have worked to ensure that habitat protection remains a priority. Healthy habitat — safe places to find food, raise young, and survive the winter — is essential for this species to recover.

Fish and Wildlife is designating critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee in select counties of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. While this doesn’t protect from all threats, it importantly prohibits the federal government from taking any action that destroys or adversely modifies designated areas.

This is a big win for conservation! Thank you to the many people involved, including folks in federal and state agencies, universities, conservation organizations, and our Bumble Bee Atlas volunteers!

Learn more about this announcement ➡️ beecityusa.org/blog

06/05/2026

We are pleased to announce that College of Saint Mary & Clark University are our newest Bee Campus USA affiliates! We can't wait to support you in creating bee-friendly habitat and raising awareness around the importance of pollinators! 🌿

06/04/2026

Please join us in giving a warm Bee City USA welcome to our two newest affiliates - Frederick County Government, MD & The City of Frederick ! These two entities worked in conjunction to become certified at the same time, and we and can't wait to see what wonderful pollinator projects they continue to accomplish! 🐝

06/03/2026

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is one of the most recognizable insects in North America — but it’s not the only orange-and-black butterfly out there. Several species have evolved to look remarkably similar, which can make identification tricky.

This guide will walk you through how to confidently identify monarchs at every life stage, plus how to distinguish them from common lookalikes. 🦋
Learn more ➡ beecityusa.org/blog