MISSION

Our Sandy Springs Bee City USA non-profit organization was organized under the umbrella of the Bee City USA non-profit group, an initiative of the Xerces Society whose mission is to support the protection and health of pollinators.

Pollinator Conservation by Creating and Enhancing Habitat

Bees transfer pollen between flowers, enabling the incredible diversity of plants on our planet to flower and fruit. Pollinators are keystone species in essentially every ecosystem on earth, enabling the reproduction of over 85% of all flowering plants and 67% of agricultural crops.

In addition to the well known honey bee (Apis mellifera), a species brought to the United States from Europe, there are more than 20,000 described species of bees globally, and around 3,600 species of bees native to the United States.

Reducing Pesticide Use and the Harmful Effects

While the majority of invertebrates fulfill essential functions in healthy ecosystems, including controlling pests, pollinating flowering plants, and providing food for other wildlife, a small number are considered pests. Unwanted species of plants, animals, and microbes are often controlled with pesticides (an umbrella term that includes—but is not limited to— insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides). Pesticides often negatively impact beneficial species in addition to those they aim to control. Contamination resulting from the extensive use of pesticides has been tied to the decline of species important to ecosystems, including pollinators.

Education

We are committed to fostering a pollinator-friendly ecology and to educating the local community about the value of pollinators and how to contribute to the best practices of sustaining a healthy pollinator environment.