Month-long bee awareness event “What’s the Buzz about Bees?” begins Sept. 10

The Black Mountain community comes together to highlight declining bee populations and raise awareness about the issue. Black Mountain Center for the Arts launches the month-long event, What’s the Buzz about Bees? with a group exhibit that opens on Thursday, Sept. 10 .

Press release from the arts center:

What’s the Buzz About Bees? involves the whole Black Mountain community in an effort to bring awareness to the decline of bee populations throughout the valley and the world. This is a problem that has made it very rapidly into our own back yards. From India to Mexico to Germany governments are taking action to reverse the trend. Now you can be a part of the process.

On September 10 the Black Mountain Center for the Arts will start its month long bee awareness event What’s the Buzz about Bees? with an art exhibit in the upper gallery showcasing more than 25 different artists working in a wide range of mediums from water color to oil and glass – all featuring one or more of the worlds 20,000 bee species. From 6-8pm there will be an artist’s reception including a short presentation in the theater space by Phyllis Stiles. Stiles is founder and director of Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA, and a national advocate of, protector of and educator about pollinators. This is one part of a full immersion in all things bee. The gallery show will run through October 9. The gallery is free and open Monday-Friday from 10am -5pm. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State Street.

“Bees are in crisis. We want this event to bring awareness to the decline of bees and other pollinators,” Tracy said. “We hope that the many people who visit the Arts Center gallery during the show will be inspired by the art to plant more native, flowering plants to ensure the sustainability of these vital insects.”

September 15 through 17 at 11 am Tracy and the Arts Center are organizing a series of “swarms” which together will involve more than 200 children. Local 3rd graders will participate by first congregating in Town Square and receiving their own personal bee hand puppet and a kazoo to create a buzz. While there, they will enjoy bee performance artists before moving in a swarm to the Arts Center where they will view the bee art in the gallery and take part in an eye-opening presentation from bee educator Sarah Eshan. Eshan, a.k.a. “The Bee Whisperer,” visits her 60 hives daily, makes honey, and is a storyteller and educator. Following the swarm students will be given bee garden seed packets to take home and plant. Merchants throughout town will show their support in their shop windows with bee decals created by Tracy.

Part of the message shared with the community will be how critical it is to plant native flowers as a food source for the bees. “The nation’s second largest crop is lawns,” said Tracy. “If ten percent of lawns were turned over to wildflowers it would make a huge difference to the bees.” Research shows bees perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide. About 85 percent of all plant species (including trees and shrubs) could not reproduce without the help of bees and other pollinators. The USDA reported a 42 percent honey bee colony loss in 2014/15, second only to the 45 percent losses in 2012/13. Widespread pesticide use and habitat loss are major contributors to the bee crisis. These and other stressors will be explored during the event.

For more information about any element of What’s the Buzz About Bees? please visit www.BlackMountainArts.org or call 828-669-0930.