Bees Are Crucial To Any Community’s Ecology
Bees and other pollinators play a crucial role in supporting the growth of valuable plant species that in-turn supports the food supply for other species – including people. In recent years bees and other pollinators have become increasingly endangered and more communities have become aware of the need to support their protection and health.
The Sandy Springs Bee City USA was formed by a group of Sandy Springs residents to create a pollinator-friendly community and to support the larger mission of contributing to sustaining a pollinator-friendly environment.
Our Sandy Springs Bee City USA non-profit organization was organized under the umbrella of the Bee City USA non-profit group, an initiative of the Xerces Society whose mission is to support the protection and health of pollinators.
Bee City USA® and Bee Campus USA work to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators, in particular the more than 3,600 species of native bees in this country, by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA are initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
We are committed to fostering a pollinator-friendly ecology and to educating the local community about the value of pollinators and how to contribute to the best practices of sustaining a healthy pollinator environment.
We hope you’ll join us in our quest.
2022 The Year In Review
- Following the creation of a policy allowing hives in City parks, Julia Mahood, Sandy Springs Bee City USA committee member and professional beekeeper, installed two hives at Lost Corner Forest Preserve in March 2022.
- The Committee hosted a “Meet the Beekeeper” event in April 2022 at Lost Corner Forest Preserve, a popular park in Sandy Springs. Julia Mahood brought a demonstration hive. Park users and an organized group of children were able to see what a hive looks like in the inside and to get acquainted with the honeybees that live in the two hives at Lost Corner.
- In conjunction with the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association, the apiary at Lost Corner Preserve was used to host four events in April through July for beekeeper education, stressing IPM and best management practices. Julia Mahood led these programs.
- In December 2022, Mayor and City Council adopted the Sustainable Landscape Practices for City projects. These guidelines provide best design, planting, and maintenance (including pest control) practices.