The number of “Bee Cities” is growing across the U.S. and Canada, which is good news for the future of pollinators, which are necessary to our food chain.
By Mark Anderson
The “Bee City” movement is all “abuzz” across North America but especially in Ontario, Canada. There, on June 24, Severn Township and the city of Orillia both received their official “Bee City” designations, centering on the importance of preventing a steep drop in the number of bees and other pollinators that play a crucial role in the human food supply. The organization Bee City Canada expects the populous city of Barrie, Ontario, about an hour north of Toronto, to soon become the 30th Bee City in all of Canada.
Stateside, there are some 86 Bee City USA cities—as municipalities on both sides of the border pledge to plant pollinator-friendly vegetation and raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and the threats against them to help stop what appears to be a drastic bee-colony collapse and declining butterfly numbers, much of which has been attributed to pesticide use.
Regarding other potential causes, some evidence points to the electromagnetic field not just from the current 4G digital communications grid but also regarding the potentially harrowing effects that the much more powerful 5G upgrade might have on the bees, birds, butterflies, moths etc., all of which contribute to pollination.
Bee City Canada director Shelly Candel informed local media and officials that a June 17 letter she received from 10-year-old Grace Totten of St. John, New Brunswick about “Bumblekids” represents another thing people can do to get involved in pollinator preservation. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of Bumblekids seed kits, which are used for improving pollinator habitat, go to Bee City Canada.
Bee City USA “fosters ongoing dialogue in urban areas to raise awareness of the role pollinators play in our communities and what each of us can do to provide them with healthy habitat,” the organization’s website explains. “The Bee City USA program endorses a set of commitments, defined in a resolution, for creating sustainable habitats for pollinators. which are vital to feeding the planet. Incorporated cities, towns, counties and communities across America are invited to make these commitments and become certified as a Bee City USA affiliate.”
Mark Anderson is AFP’s roving editor. He invites your thoughtful comments and story ideas at [email protected].
