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Thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate the 6th Annual West Seattle Bee Festival on May 19th! 

​Visit our 2018 festival page for photos! 
If you would like to plan a field trip to see the bees, or request a visit from a beekeeper, please click here.



​Celebrating World Bee Day!!

BEEKEEPING CHARITIES COAST-TO-COAST OBSERVE WORLD BEE DAY, MAY 20, 2018
WORLD BEE DAY IS A UNITED NATIONS-RECOGNIZED GLOBAL EVENT  

NEW YORK, NY (May 20 2017) – Public events by beekeeping groups nationwide will amplify the message of World Bee Day to raise awareness of the critical role that bees play in cities and towns nationwide including Seattle, Detroit and New York City.


The United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution declaring 20 May annually as World Bee Day. The resolution was co-sponsored by 115 UN Member States, including the USA, Canada, China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and all the European Union Member States.


Carla Mucavi, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office in New York, commented: “Bees play a crucial role in increasing crop yields and promoting food security and nutrition. Without them, we could lose a variety of food such as potatoes, pepper, coffee, pumpkins, carrots, apples, almonds, tomatoes, just to name a few. In short, without bees, FAO cannot achieve a world without hunger. World Bee Day recognizes the importance of these tiny helpers and will increase awareness of the need to protect them.”


Says Guillermo Fernandez, Executive Director of The Honeybee Conservancy, “Native and honey bees are an integral part of the ecological diversity of our great cities.   We benefit immensely from these great pollinators, which pollinate our flowers and increase crop yields at community gardens, many of which provide produce to local residents.”


“Our bees not only provide essential pollination services for food and fiber, they bring a sense of wonder and beauty to our lives,” says Sarah Red-Laird, Executive Director of the Bee Girl organization, “they’re an intriguing and charismatic minifauna, lighting up the smiles  and minds of my students as they watch them dance from flower to flower.”

Brian Peterson-Roest, co-founder of Bees in the D states “Bees reflect the spirit of Detroit. Historically, they have represented resurrection and prosperity, as well as hard work and community; that’s part of why you’ll see bees within the façades of some of Detroit’s most iconic architecture like the Fisher and Guardian buildings. Urban beekeeping is a fantastic way to make use of Detroit’s urban gardens, parks, and rooftops while channelling its ethos of renaissance and rebirth; it brings together different people in our community to gain a better understanding of the importance of pollinators.”

“The captivating world of the honey bee serves as a great medium to ignite interest in all pollinators and their vital role in the health of our ecology” says Lauren Englund of West Seattle Bee Garden, “It is a joy working with students and observing visitors at the bee garden - seeing the fascination on their faces, and hearing the excitement in their voices time and time again.”


The events will be open to credentialed members of the media. Media should arrive at the locations 15 minutes in advance for staging.


New York City events (The Honeybee Conservancy)

Detroit events (Bees in the D)

Ashland events (Bee Girl Organization)

Seattle events (West Seattle Bee Garden)


About The Honeybee Conservancy
The Honeybee Conservancy is a 501c3 non-profit organization that works to help bees, while increasing access to organic, sustainable food in underserved communities.   The Honeybee Conservancy’s Sponsor-A-Hive program strategically places buzzing native and honey bees in gardens and urban farms that are doing exceptional work to grow fresh produce for schools, soup kitchens, senior citizen centers, and low income neighborhoods.

About  Bees in the D
The brainchild of Brian Peterson, Brian Roest, and Betty Crowder, Bees in the D introduced 6 hives, in 2016, to rooftops of local businesses in Detroit, Michigan. Since then, the 100% volunteer-run organization has exploded to 86 hives in 34 locations. Bees in the D now boasts six beekeepers and an ever-expanding team, all of whom are dedicated to its two-fold mission: educating the community about importance of pollinators, and their conservation efforts of managing hives across  Southeast Michigan from Ann Arbor to Armada, even buzzing across the border to Windsor, Canada.

About West Seattle Bee Garden
The West Seattle Bee Garden (WSBG) is a volunteer-managed space with a focus on educating local residents on the importance of pollinators, and providing opportunities for visitors to safely observe bees through a beehive enclosure. As part of the Commons Park P-Patch, and surrounded by a pollination garden, visitors are reminded of the interdependent relationship between bees and plants. The West Seattle Bee Garden is open to the public, and hosts events and field trips to enhance its educational outreach. Additionally, the WSBG has teamed up with the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association, the Honeybee Conservancy, and the Seattle Public School District to distribute Bee Kits and curriculum to classrooms throughout Seattle. Not every classroom may be able to make it to the WSBG, but every classroom can have the tools to effectively learn about bees and pollinators!

About Bee Girl
The Bee Girl organization is a nonprofit with a mission to educate and inspire communities to conserve bees, their flowers, and our food.  Organization founder, Sarah “Bee Girl” Red-Laird, leads a team to show kids, beekeepers, and farmers how to love their bees through classes, events, summer camps, and habitat projects.  The team engages with communities across the nation, and the globe, spreading knowledge and bringing a sense of wonder from the hive to the people.