CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets aren't the only ones bringing buzz to the Queen City! 

Charlotte City County passed a resolution designating Charlotte as a Bee City USA affiliate, joining several jurisdictions across the state with efforts to protect bees and other pollinators. 

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Charlotte is now part of Bee City USA  
  • It's a national effort to protect bees and other pollinators 
  • A Matthews beekeeper says Charlotte joining the "buzz" helps to fill gaps where more support is needed

According to the resolution, Charlotte aims to sustain native bees and other pollinators in a healthy habitat, which will include creating or expanding pollinator-friendly habitats. 

A beekeeper in Matthews says Charlotte joining Bee City USA helps surrounding areas also focused on saving pollinators. 

Gretchen Reid serves as the chair for Bee City USA in Matthews. 

She developed a passion for helping pollinators while attending beekeeping school at the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association. 

"I was fascinated and started asking questions," Reid said. 

She later became a beekeeper and joined Bee City USA in Matthews to educate more people about the contributions of bees and other pollinators. 

"The statistic is one out of every three bites of food that we eat is due to a pollinator," Reid said. 

But experts say many pollinators are put in harm's way due to habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use. 

Reid says initiatives like Bee City USA are helping to change that. 

She says Charlotte joining Bee City USA will help to fill gaps where additional support is needed.

"A lot of our pollinators migrate," Reid said. "To see the city of Charlotte taking this on is huge." 

The survival of pollinators is a serious matter.

According to a survey from the Bee Informed Partnership, between April 2021 and April 2022, beekeepers in the United States lost nearly 39% of their managed honey bee colonies. 

Bee City USA reports nearly 40% of pollinator species across the globe may soon be at risk of extinction. 

Reid is encouraging people to play their part by protecting as many pollinators as they can. 

"Without the sources of the food the bees pollinate, humans will really be physically impacted. Not just by the volume and variety but by the quality of their food," Reid said. 

Some of the things Reid says people can do to protect pollinators include minimal insect spraying, especially on windy days.

"Other simple things too — trying to not over-mulch," Reid said. "I know we don't want our weeds. A lot of our great pollinators live in the ground. Just being conscious of not covering up some of those holes so they can still fly in and out."

Bee City USA was founded in Asheville in 2012. Other North Carolina cities working with Bee City USA are Boone, Winston-Salem and Raleigh.