Bee City celebrates Pollinator Week

HAMILTON, ON – To celebrate Pollinator Week and the City’s designation as the 39th Bee City in Canada, the City of Hamilton will be lighting the Hamilton Sign yellow tonight to encourage residents to join in on creating pollinator friendly habitats on their property.

To celebrate Pollinator Week, the City is providing residents with suggestions on how to aid pollinators:

• Embrace a diverse range of native plants, trees, and shrubs that blossom at different times throughout the year to ensure a constant supply of nectar, pollen, and habitat.
• If space is limited for a garden, consider cultivating a potted native plant like butterfly milkweed to support monarch butterflies.
• Introduce a water feeder to your garden to attract pollinators. Water feeders entice not only pollinators but also beneficial insects like ladybugs, which assist in eliminating invasive pests such as aphids.
• Opt for natural fertilizers such as compost or shredded leaves rather than synthetic fertilizers.
• Rather than removing them, retain leaves, twigs, and stems in your garden at the conclusion of the gardening season, as they create essential overwintering habitats for pollinators.

Quick Facts

• Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health and runs from June 19 to June 25, 2023.
• The event raises awareness for pollinator protection and encourages residents in Canada to create pollinator habitats by adding native plants to their garden.
• Hamilton is a designated Bee City based on the commitments from Environment Hamilton, Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, Butterflyway, Conservation Halton, Green Venture and the municipality to create new pollinator habitats, provide education and community outreach opportunities, and look for innovative ways to celebrate pollinators in our city.

To learn more about Hamilton’s designation as the 39th Bee City in Canada, visit www.hamilton.ca/pollinators.