You just have to bee at the pollinator celebration

By Debbie Roos
Posted Wednesday, June 25, 2008

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Pittsboro, NC - Come join the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension and the Chatham County Beekeepers' Association for a very special celebration of National Pollinator Week on Saturday, June 28, from 10:00 am til 2:00 pm.

This event is sponsored by Chatham Mills Development Corporation and hosted by Chatham Marketplace at The Lawn at Chatham Mills in Pittsboro, NC.

This is the second annual National Pollinator Week, initially proclaimed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and a unanimous vote of the U.S. Senate in 2007. The purpose of Pollinator Week is to teach pollinator-friendly practices and raise public awareness of the importance of the bees, beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, birds, and bats that are needed to produce 80 percent of our flowering plants and one third of our human food crops. The National Academy of Sciences has reported that there is direct evidence of the decline of some pollinator species in North America. And, recently, Colony Collapse Disorder of honey bees has alarmed the agricultural industry.

We have a great program planned for folks of all ages at our local event here in Pittsboro:

You can hear presentations about bees and beekeeping (for both kids and adults) and learn how to attract and protect pollinators.

Watch expert beekeepers work an actual hive inside a bee cage (bees inside, participants outside!), see honey bees up close and personal, and get your burning beekeeping questions answered.

Participate in a pollinator-themed Scavenger Hunt for kids!

You can watch "Bee TV" - park yourself in front of a sealed observation hive and watch the worker bees attending the queen. It's mesmerizing!

Meet our local Chatham County beekeepers and learn all about what it takes to produce the nutritious and delicious local honey available at Chatham Marketplace. We will have beekeeping equipment and products from the hive for "show and tell".

Visit Chatham Marketplace to learn which products depend on bees for pollination (hint: look for the bee signs).

Pick up some educational literature to further your knowledge about honey bees, beekeeping, pollinators, and pollinator conservation.

Learn about the Chatham County Beekeepers' Association and how you can get involved with this fabulously friendly group through monthly meetings and field days and even an email listserv - we welcome members of all skill levels: from never-tried-it (but always wanted to) to beginner to experienced!

Enjoy a pollinator-friendly local lunch at Chatham Marketplace during the program! (Did you know that worldwide, approximately 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, spices, fiber, and medicine require pollination by animals?)

Program schedule for Saturday, June 28:

Programs will be on The Lawn at Chatham Mills in front of Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro

10:00-10:30 am - Beekeeping Demo in Bee Cage - Don Hopkins, Apiary Inspector Supervisor, North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

10:30-11:00 am - Kids and Bees - Colleen Kendrick, Chatham County Beekeepers' Association

11:00-11:30 am - Kids' Pollinator Scavenger Hunt

11:30 am-12:00 pm - Beekeeping Demo in Bee Cage - Michael Almond, Chatham County Beekeepers' Association

12:00-12:30 pm - Basics of Beekeeping - Jim Williams, Chatham County Beekeepers' Association

12:30-1:00 pm - Beekeeping Demo in Bee Cage - Don Hopkins, North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

1:00-1:30 pm - Pollinator Conservation: How to Attract and Protect Pollinators - Debbie Roos, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center

From 10:00 am-2:00 pm, feel free to visit the display tables and talk with local beekeepers.

All Pollinator Week Events are free and open to the public. This event will be held rain or shine.

For more information about pollinator conservation, visit Cooperative Extension's Growing Small Farms website at and type "pollinator" into the search engine.

For more information about this event, contact Debbie Roos at 919-542-8202.