The City of Gastonia was officially the 74th Bee City USA affiliate in the nation. Gastonia City Council adopted the Bee City USA Resolution on September 4, 2018.
Bee City USA-Gastonia is required to hold an annual celebration each May promoting pollinator habitat plantings and distributing information about bees and the important role they play in our environment. The City will also be establishing Landscape Plans and review our pesticide management policies and practices as they relate to pollinator conservation. A Bee City Committee has been established with Keep Gastonia Beautiful.
What is the Great Southeastern Pollinator Census? The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is a simple citizen science project designed to take data over the course of two days in August to capture a snapshot of pollinator activity, pollinator presence, and pollinator preference. Who else is participating? Miss Polly Nator Provided by a generous grant from the Glenn Foundation. As a Bee City USA Affiliate, the City of Gastonia and Keep Gastonia Beautiful are thinking globally and acting locally, to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. Click on the link below to be taken to valuable resources and information on anything from protecting our pollinators to learning who to contact about swarms of bees! Bee City USA Resources
Offices for Keep Gastonia Beautiful are located at the Garland Municipal Business Center at 150 S. York Street on the second floor.
Proclamation
Beetopia
Beetopia
Pollinator Census
It was designed to be doable by the general public, whether or not they knew the different insects.
Georgia (2017), South Carolina (2022) and North Carolina participated in 2023, and Florida is joining the Count in 2024!
The Census is for EVERYONE!
You don’t have to be a insect expert or an amazing gardener to participate in the Census.
It is to help everyone learn about insects and the importance of plants to pollinators. If you have an interest, this is for you!
How do you “do” the Census?
Identify a plant that has insects landing on it
Get an official datasheet (located in link here) pencil and maybe a drink and chair
Fill out the basic information on the datasheet
Set a timer for 15 minutes
Put a tally mark next to the type of insect you see each time it lands on the plant (EVEN if you think it is the SAME insect)
After the 15 minutes is up, enter your data online at the QR code or URL at the top of the datasheet!
Miss Polly Nator
Miss Polly Nator is available for school and educational programming throughout the year.
Bee City USA Resources
Fun facts about Bees
Fun facts about bees:
Contact Information
Garland Municipal Business Center
150 S. York Street, Gastonia, NC 28052
(PO Box 1748, Gastonia, NC 28053-1748)
704-869-1938 (business)
704-866-6067 (fax)
