What is MSU Bee Palooza?

Simply put, Bee Palooza is a celebration of pollinators and the important work they do. A broader awareness and concern about pollinators and an interest in what humans can do to help them led to the establishment of a National Pollinator Week in 2012. In celebration, members of the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University organized the first Bee Palooza event, a free, fun and educational afternoon of interactive activities for all ages. Visitors from across the region enjoyed stations set up around the garden displaying honey bee and bumble bee colonies, examples of wild Michigan bees, wild bee hotels, plants and gardening practices to support pollinators. This event was held annually from 2012-2020 with a virtual version held in 2020.

A few key definitions:

• Bee Palooza is a celebration of pollinators and the promotion of pollinator stewardship.
  
• Pollinator stewardship is when humans play an active part in protecting and providing natural resources that pollinators need - including clean water and food (aka nectar and pollen).
• Pollinators include bees, some other insects, some birds, and some bats that collect pollen from flowers and carry it with them to other flowers of the same species.
• The result of pollination is seeds, nuts, and fruits depending on the plant species; it is estimated that 1 in 3 bites of food we eat requires the action of pollinators.