Bee City USA – Hampton

About the Program

The Hampton Clean City Commission sponsors the Bee City USA – Hampton program. The mission of Bee City USA is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators, responsible for the reproduction of almost 90% of the world’s flowering plant species, by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants, and free to nearly free of pesticides.

Why Hampton is a Bee City USA

• Maintaining habitat and forage for bees and other pollinators is essential to the sustainability and resilience of our local environment.
• Resources for bees include many flowering plants, thus enhancing the natural beauty of Hampton.
• Maintaining habitats conducive to bees and other pollinators will support local farm and garden efforts by increasing pollination of fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers.

Bee City USA – Hampton Steering Committee

Programs and activities are planned and implemented by the Bee City USA – Hampton Steering Committee, which meets monthly. Membership on the committee is voluntary and widespread among supporters of pollinators. Among the organizations that support Hampton’s Bee City USA initiative are the Hampton Master Gardeners, the Colonial Beekeepers, and Virginia Native Plant Society. The initiative is sponsored by the Hampton Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services Department.

Among activities being planned are pollinator plantings, developing a list of locally native pollinator plants for Hampton, encouraging the use of integrated pest management, educational efforts that include a Pollinator Week celebration, and tracking results.

Bee City USA – Hampton Steering Committee Members

List of current Bee City USA – Hampton Steering Committee members

For More Information

For more information, please contact the Hampton Clean City Commission online or by phone at 757-727-1130.

Resource Documents

• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation: Chesapeake Bay Watershed, US Fish and Wildlife Service (PDF)
• Native Plants for Southeast Virginia including Hampton Roads Region, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (PDF)
• Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden, US Fish and Wildlife Service (PDF)
• Habitat Assessment Guide for Pollinators in Yards, Gardens, and Parks, Xerces Society (PDF)
• Checklist of Actions to Promote Pollinators in Yards, Gardens, and Parks, Xerces Society (PDF)
• Monarch Nectar Plants, Xerces Society (PDF)
• Common Native Trees of Virginia, Virginia Department of Forestry (PDF)