A bee hotel will be all the buzz in Hillsborough on Saturday, as it is unveiled in efforts to combat the disappearance of bees from local habitats.
“A lot of people are aware of the decline of honey bees in the United States, but fewer people understand the role of native bees,” said Stephanie Trueblood, Hillsborough public space manager.
In North Carolina, there are more than 500 species of native bees, according to an N.C. State University lab within the entomology program.
Native bees, unlike honey bees, do not live in hives. Instead, they live more solitary lives pollinating forests and fields, Trueblood said.
“Our hope is that with a focus on creating a really large-scale, beautiful, bee hotel that people can see in a very visible location in Gold Park,” Trueblood said, “that it will raise people’s awareness of the issue.”
The bee hotel will be 8 feet tall by 6 feet wide, and it is designed to not only be a functional home for bees, but also a work of art.
“I’m a landscape, design and build kind of person. I’ve been doing this sort of work for 25 years,” said David Hinkle, the bee hotel's artist.
Hinkle said his designs are inspired by natural patterns, and many of the materials used in the construction of the bee hotel are recycled or salvaged materials.
“This is the first time I’ve done a public work like this,” he said, referring to the fact that the bee hotel was sponsored by numerous organizations in Hillsborough and is in a public park. “Everything’s gone very smoothly for me, and that’s good.”
