Bee City USA Chapter 76 is inviting residents to participate in “Bee Kind Carson City, Protect Pollinators” events this June. Alongside the scheduled events, local businesses will offer honey- and bee-themed products, foods, and drinks. Look for Bee City’s poster and balloon display in the front window of participating locations. Pollinator Trail Tours - June 5 Join in on trail tours, a kid’s scavenger hunt for pollinator plants, and trail work from 9 a.m. to noon today at the Foothill Trail behind the Carson Tahoe Cancer center. Plant Presentation and Tour – June 9 Tour the Greenhouse Garden Center and hear all about pollinator plants with David Ruf on June 9 at 5:15 p.m. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bag dinners. The Garden Center is located at 2450 S. Curry St. Library Pollinator Garden – June 12 To kick off their summer reading program, the Carson City Library will unveil their new pollinator garden from 10 a.m. to noon. Reading- and bee-enthusiasts can also see the library’s Pollinator Month display in the lobby through the end of June. Veggie Gardening for Pollinators – June 14 Dr. Lindsay Chichester, a systems agriculturist, will speak on pollinator-friendly vegetable gardening. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. at the Carson City Community Garden, 1044 Beverly Dr. Pollinator Parade – June 26 Wear a pollinator costume and follow Bee City USA chapter 76 on a two-mile walk starting at the south end of the Farmer’s Market, east of the Carson Nugget. The parade will march from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will be socially distanced. Pets are not allowed. A registration form for the parade will open up later this month on the Farmer’s Market website, carsonfarmersmarket.com For Businesses – all month Local businesses who would like to participate can create a pollinator-themed window display. Email beecityusa76@gmail.com to get a packet with additional details, including this year’s Pollinator Month poster and balloon for the display. Bee City USA chapter 76 will accept new businesses for the full month of June, no cost to participate. “We only became a bee city in 2018, and there’s been so much momentum ever since then. It’s culminating in this celebration,” said Lyndsey Boyer, Carson City Parks and Recreation Open Space manager. She and Kelly Clark, Bee City USA Chapter 76 Chair, both helped organize Pollinator Month in Carson City. They said that Mayor Lori Bagwell’s enthusiasm for the events has helped them gain traction. The timing is great too; Boyer and Clark are hoping to raise awareness as Carson City enters “swarm season.” As hives get too big, the queen bee decides to relocate, creating a traveling swarm that might find a new home somewhere inconvenient for humans—that’s especially common throughout June—hence, “swarm season.” Clark mentioned that Del Barber, a personal friend, Master Beekeeper, and founding member of the Great Basin Beekeepers, has already caught over 20 swarms this spring. Part of saving swarms like this is raising awareness among residents about calling beekeepers rather than exterminators, and planting pollinator-friendly summer gardens. The Great Basin Beekeepers of Nevada keep an ongoing list of local beekeepers willing to help with swarms. They ask that residents take a picture, and send it to an appropriate contact on their website: https://greatbasinbeekeepersofnevada.org/swarm-list
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