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How One Woman's Idea Turned 400 American Cities into Native Bee Habitat
It started with one woman's frustration and a unanimous city council vote in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2012. Fourteen years later, more than 400 American towns and college campuses have made formal commitments to become better habitat for native bees.
This National Pollinator Week, we explore what the Bee City USA movement actually does, why the science of solitary bee foraging ranges makes urban habitat networks so critical, and what happens when a city decides to see itself as a landscape instead of just a skyline.
www.secretpollinators.com
References:
Bee City USA history and program structure
- Xerces Society: "Bee City USA: Galvanizing Communities to Reverse Pollinator Decline" — xerces.org/blog/bee-city-usa-wings
- Xerces Society: "Phyllis Stiles of Asheville, NC: The Buzz Behind Bee City USA" — xerces.org/news (May 2024)
- Bee City Asheville: beecityasheville.org/about
- Bee City USA: beecityusa.org/about
Solitary bee foraging ranges
- Gathmann, A. & Tscharntke, T. (2002). Foraging ranges of solitary bees. Journal of Animal Ecology, 71, 757–764.
- Zurbuchen, A. et al. (2010). Maximum foraging ranges in solitary bees. Biological Conservation, 143(3), 669–676. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.12.003
- Hofmann, M.M. et al. (2020). Foraging distances in six species of solitary bees. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 77, 105–117.
Urban bee diversity and connectivity
- Lundquist, M.J. et al. (2025). Bug roads: Modeling green space connectivity in NYC. Ecological Applications, 35(7), e70128. DOI: 10.1002/eap.70128
- Frantzeskaki, N. et al. (2024). Bees in the city: scoping review. Ambio, 53(9), 1281–1295. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02028-1
National Pollinator Week
- Pollinator Partnership: pollinator.org/pollinator-week
#SecretPollinators #PollinatorWeek2026 #BeeCityUSA #NativeBees #WildBees #SolitaryBees #UrbanPollinators #PollinatorHabitat #NativePlants #BeeScience #IndependentPodcast #SciencePodcast #PollinatorSteward #Bumblebees #MasonBees #HoverFlies #Gardening #NativeBeeHabitat #PollinatorPartnership
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By Kelly ParksIt started with one woman's frustration and a unanimous city council vote in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2012. Fourteen years later, more than 400 American towns and college campuses have made formal commitments to become better habitat for native bees.
This National Pollinator Week, we explore what the Bee City USA movement actually does, why the science of solitary bee foraging ranges makes urban habitat networks so critical, and what happens when a city decides to see itself as a landscape instead of just a skyline.
www.secretpollinators.com
References:
Bee City USA history and program structure
- Xerces Society: "Bee City USA: Galvanizing Communities to Reverse Pollinator Decline" — xerces.org/blog/bee-city-usa-wings
- Xerces Society: "Phyllis Stiles of Asheville, NC: The Buzz Behind Bee City USA" — xerces.org/news (May 2024)
- Bee City Asheville: beecityasheville.org/about
- Bee City USA: beecityusa.org/about
Solitary bee foraging ranges
- Gathmann, A. & Tscharntke, T. (2002). Foraging ranges of solitary bees. Journal of Animal Ecology, 71, 757–764.
- Zurbuchen, A. et al. (2010). Maximum foraging ranges in solitary bees. Biological Conservation, 143(3), 669–676. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.12.003
- Hofmann, M.M. et al. (2020). Foraging distances in six species of solitary bees. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 77, 105–117.
Urban bee diversity and connectivity
- Lundquist, M.J. et al. (2025). Bug roads: Modeling green space connectivity in NYC. Ecological Applications, 35(7), e70128. DOI: 10.1002/eap.70128
- Frantzeskaki, N. et al. (2024). Bees in the city: scoping review. Ambio, 53(9), 1281–1295. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02028-1
National Pollinator Week
- Pollinator Partnership: pollinator.org/pollinator-week
#SecretPollinators #PollinatorWeek2026 #BeeCityUSA #NativeBees #WildBees #SolitaryBees #UrbanPollinators #PollinatorHabitat #NativePlants #BeeScience #IndependentPodcast #SciencePodcast #PollinatorSteward #Bumblebees #MasonBees #HoverFlies #Gardening #NativeBeeHabitat #PollinatorPartnership