Why are we buzzing with excitement? Well, because today is World Bee Day and Raleigh is a certified Bee City USA affiliate.

What does that mean exactly? s Through numerous events and organizations (like Bee Downtown, Apiopolis, and Bee Better, Inc.) the city aims to educate the public on pollinators. According to Blue Ridge Outdoors, NC is home to ~120,000 honey bee colonies.

In celebration of the World Bee Day, Raleigh-based organization Apiopolis will install a new beehive at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The event will be live streamed today at 10 a.m. and city council member Nicole Stewart will also announce the name of the hive’s new queen bee (chosen by local elementary schools).

The honey bee is also the state’s official insect. Here’s 5 facts from National Geographic that you might not know:

Honey bees can fly 25 miles per hour (slower than driving on Hillsborough St.)
Their wings beat 200 times per second
Each bee has 170 odorant receptors (aka: they can probably smell BBQ from The Pit from North Hills)
The queen bee can lay ~2,500 eggs per day
The average worker bee lives for 5-6 weeks

Duke Energy Center worked with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance to highlight several downtown businesses that are featuring specialty products through May 25 — including Bittersweet, Marbles Kids Museum + DECO Raleigh. Look for “The Birds and The Bees Citywalk” decals identifying participating businesses or print out an online map.

Want to learn more? There will be a themed popup market Sat., May 22 from 12-3 p.m. in Lichtin Plaza (near Duke Energy Center) where local experts, like the Wake County Beekeepers Association, will be able to discuss pollinators.

Poll

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