Rescheduled: Learn About the Benefits of Native Bees March 7, 2022, at Southeast Branch Library

By Melissa Walker, Environmental Education Specialist

Posted on February 22, 2022, February 22, 2022

Editor's Note: The Feb. 23 event has been postponed until March 7, 2022, because of expected inclement weather.

The Stormwater Education Specialist will be providing a presentation on Native Bees of Arlington from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. March 7 at the Southeast Branch Library, 900 SE Green Oaks Blvd.

Texas is home to approximately 700 native bee species, which help create and maintain our diverse ecosystem and are vital to our food supply.

Over 80% of native plants in Texas rely on pollinators to reproduce and in the U.S. $18 billion to $27 billion dollars worth of food production relies on the direct contribution of pollinators like native bees.

Native Bees provide ecosystem services that support wildlife and native plant communities in the following ways:

• Native plant diversity provides food and shelter for birds and other wildlife

• Pollinator habitat helps remove pollutants from stormwater runoff improving local water quality

• Diverse plant communities prevent erosion and maintain healthy watersheds

• Flowering plants help return moisture to the atmosphere which is integral to the water cycle

• Flowering plants utilize carbon dioxide to produce oxygen.

Residents can help our local bees and other pollinators by using native and adapted plants in landscapes and gardens, reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers and by providing food, water and nesting places for these species.

Residents can learn more about pollinators by attending the Native Bees of Arlington presentation on March 7 or by visiting Arlington’s Bee City USA webpage at www.arlingtontx.gov/beecityusa.