Bees pollinating at the BSC Ecoscape. (Pat Byington / Bham Now)

The City of Pelham has been officially designated a Bee City.

The Shelby County town of 24,000+ is the second community in Alabama to earn the Bee City USA® title. Mountain Brook was named the first Bee City in 2023.

The designation was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Pelham Garden Club, Pelham Parks & Recreation and other City of Pelham staff members.

“Our City Council let it be known that we understand the importance of sustaining pollinators and want to make the city more pollinator-friendly. We are grateful to Dr. Teresa Nichols and the Pelham Garden Club for bringing the opportunity to our attention.”
Mayor Gary Waters, City of Pelham

Why becoming a Bee City matters

bee — Pollinators in Birmingham. (Lea Ann Macknally)

Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The project aims to inspire communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with a healthy habitat rich in native plants and free of insecticides.

According to Dr. Alvin Diamond at Troy University, Alabama is home to about 400 natives bees that quietly go about pollinating all kinds of plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables. They are also essential to the survival of about 200 species of birds.

How to become a Bee City

In addition to the Pelham and Mountain Brook Bee City USA designation, the state also has two Bee City campuses: the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Auburn University.

Are you interested in designating your town as a Bee City?

Below are the seven steps:

Establishing a standing Bee City USA committee to advocate for pollinators
Creating and enhancing pollinator habitat on public and private land by increasing the abundance of native plants and providing nest sites
Reducing the use of pesticides
Incorporating pollinator-conscious practices into city policies and plans
Hosting pollinator awareness events

Do you love bees, native plants and other pollinators? Tell us a memorable story by leaving us a comment on our Instagram and tagging us at bhamnow!