Keep Gastonia Beautiful dedicates bee conscious improvements to farmers market

Henry Bess' interest in bees began with his garden.

He had a garden, but no bees to pollinate it.

So Bess acquired a bee hive, but soon realized he didn't know much about the care and nurture of bees.

He joined the Gaston County Beekeepers Association and went to their Bee School to learn how to care for them.

"You learn about them, learn how to keep them alive and the benefits they have," Bess said.

Bees pollinate around 80% of the plants which produce the food we eat. Without bees, people would starve, he said. 

"No bees, no food. It's essential," Bess said. 

Keep Gastonia Beautiful celebrated all things bees Saturday, June 19, at the Gastonia Farmers Market during its annual "Beetopia."

The celebration is part of Gastonia being named a "Bee City" in 2018, said Juliann Lehman, administrator for Keep Gastonia Beautiful.

Beetopia aims to not only entertain, but to also inform residents about the importance of pollinators and plants.

Gastonia Farmers Market has been turned into a bee sanctuary of sorts. A bee mural there took 200 volunteer hours to complete, and raised flower beds made out of an old floating boat dock were donated. The beds will not rust or rot and will promote pollination, Lehman said.

"It's going to keep growing," Lehman said of the plant bed. "I wanted the garden to look like it's been here for 100 years but it doesn't happen overnight either."

The flower beds in front of the Farmers Market are also pollinator friendly and mostly plants native to North Carolina.

"Now we're being more conscious of what flowers and plants we're planting to make sure they are pollinator friendly. We are providing bees more sources throughout the city, more beds to land in, more water sources," Lehman said.

Lehman said people don't need to be afraid of bees, which they can learn through the education and entertainment provided.

"We need them. This market would not be here today if there were no bees because there would be no pollination of anything," Lehman said.  

One single bee will only produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Bees pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the U.S. inclusive of fruit, fiber, nut and vegetable crops.

But bees need help, said Sam Braxton, chairman of the Bee Committee for Keep Gastonia Beautiful.

"You don't have to be a beekeeper to help bees. If you plant flowers or if you don't spray your yard, you're going to help the bees. That's the step everyone needs to take first so that we have a more vibrant population," Braxton said. 

Bees are drawn to lavender, blues, and simple flowers, added Suzanne Simmons, also with Keep Gastonia Beautiful, which people should keep in mind when landscaping a yard. 

You can reach Sarah Marino at 704-869-1850 or SMarino@Gannett.com.