Native Bees topic for next Backyard Association Meeting

From Special Reports

With more than 500 native bee species in Georgia, these pollinators are an important, though often overlooked, part of the state ecosystem in helping plants propagate and prosper.

Becky Griffin, a University of Georgia Community & School Garden Coordinator and a Georgia-certified beekeeper, will introduce Coweta gardeners to native bees at the April meeting of the Coweta County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers Back Yard Association.

The free presentation begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9 at the Coweta County Extension Office. It is located at 255 Pine Road in Newnan.

Griffin will share her knowledge about the valuable eco-services naïve bees provide, from their nesting habitats to their foraging habits. Bees have a limited lifetime, she says, and gardeners can make a real difference toward insect conservation by making their landscapes bee-friendly.

Griffin, who holds a master of plant protection and pest management, works with Extension agents across the Georgia to create successful gardens that are native bee-friendly. As a Georgia-certified beekeeper, she believes in emphasizing the ecosystem of the garden and frequently teaches workshops on beneficial entomology and integrated pest management.

Griffin, who enjoys pollinator insect research, is the coordinator of the upcoming 2019 Great Georgia Pollinator Census. In 2018 she was part of UGA’s Trees for Bees Team, which advises homeowners on planting flowering trees, like chaste tree or yellow poplar, to help support pollinator populations.

The Backyard Association is an educational program sponsored by the Coweta County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers (MGEVs). The presentations are free to the public and are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at UGA Extension–Coweta County, 255 Pine Road, Newnan.

Please call the Extension office at (770) 254-2620 for reservations and to register for door prizes, usually plants and gardening supplies. For more information, visit: www.ugaextension.org/coweta.