Bayer's Feed a Bee program and The Wildlife Society (TWS) said this week they are collaborating on the first annual forage tour to educate
communities about bees and native wildflowers and to establish more wildflower
patches
in Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Texas
for bee forage next spring.
"The Feed a Bee program is tackling a really important
need for pollinators by conducting plantings across the nation this fall,"
TWS CEO Ken Williams said. "At TWS, dedicated chapter members in each
region are working now to identify the optimum mix of wildflower seeds to plant
in each location to ensure pollinators have access to a wide variety of diverse
nutrition sources when bloom occurs in the spring."
The national initiative's mission is to plant more
wildflowers to nourish pollinators, including honeybees and native bees. Feed a
Bee partners participating in the current project to plant
pollinator-attracting plants include The Packers of Indian River, Salem4youth,
McCarty Family Farms and Texas Tech University Department of Plant and Soil
Science.
"Every additional bit of forage planted helps
pollinators, whether it's next to a community garden, alongside cropland or in
a homeowner's backyard," North American Bayer Bee Care Program Project
Manager Becky Langer said. "We're proud to work with TWS and our other
fantastic Feed a Bee partners this fall for the first annual forage planting
tour. By planting these wildflower seeds, we're helping to sow a healthier
spring for honey bees and other pollinators."
Forage tour to spread word about bees, wildflowers
