Heather Petkovsek

“How Beaumont Became a Bee City”

By Chuck Heare

Our speaker for this meeting was Heather Petkovsek, decked out in a bee costume with yellow hair. She shared with us that in October 2018, Beaumont became the third city in Texas to be designated as a “Bee City” behind only Beeville, which was first, and Grapevine. This designation makes Beaumont part of an organization known as Bee City USA. The purpose of this organization is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators that are responsible for the reproduction of 90% of the world’s wild plant species. They do this by organizing communities to join and encourage cities across the country to create and enhance pollinator habitat on public and private land by increasing the abundance of native plants and providing nest sites. They also advocate minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and advocating the use of non-chemical pest management methods that will have minimal effect on pollinators.

Why is this important? Not only do pollinators like bees and butterflies help in the growth and reproduction of flowers that provide beauty to the community, but they also provide pollination for the vegetable and fruit crops we need for food. So, pollinators are not only important for the beautiful plants they support, but also the very food we eat.

How did we discover this organization? Stephanie Daleo and Elizabeth Conn Wadill were attending a meeting and heard about the organization. After investigating the group, they brought it to the city manager, Kyle Hayes and the city council, and it received strong support.

In order to enhance understanding among local government staff and the public about the vital role pollinators play and what each of us can do to sustain them, the City of Beaumont chose to support and encourage pollinator habitat creation and enhancement on public and private land, and it passed a resolution to designate Beaumont as a “Bee City.” The city also hired a horticulturist to oversee the effort.

If you would like to learn more about the organization, or what you can do to support pollinators in your own yard, go to beecityusa.org.