Bangor wants to be Maine’s 1st ‘Bee City’

Bangor could become Maine’s first Bee City — a national designation that recognizes a city’s commitment to protecting native bee species that have declined in recent decades.

The title is awarded through Bee City USA, an initiative by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit that aims to protect invertebrates and their habitats. There are nearly 400 Bee Cities and Bee Campuses across 47 states, according to the nonprofit.

Bee Cities must adopt policies that support native pollinators and educate the public on conservation, with the goal of increasing native plants, providing nest sites for bees and reducing the use of pesticides, according to the nonprofit.

The country is home to more than 3,600 bee species, which, alongside other pollinators like butterflies and birds, allow many plants and food crops to reproduce. In Maine, bees are vital for blueberry and potato crops, which are some of the state’s largest exports.

Some bee populations have fallen by more than 80 percent since 2007, according to a USDA Forest Service report, prompting national movements that aim to protect bee populations.

The Bangor City Council’s Business and Economic Development Subcommittee directed city staff and Bangor Beautiful, a local nonprofit that brings public art and greenery to the city, to apply for Bangor to become a Bee City on Monday.

If Bangor is accepted, the designation would come a year after the city relaxed local laws to allow residents to participate in No Mow May . The international movement encourages homeowners to let their lawns grow during May to give bees a thriving habitat and food source as they emerge from hibernation.

Maine does not have a Bee City, but both the University of Maine in Orono and St. Joseph’s College in Standish are designated Bee Campuses, according to the Xerces Society. New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, by comparison, each have one Bee City and multiple Bee Campuses.

In addition to benefiting local bee populations, the title of Bee City could also boost Bangor’s livability index — a measure of how well a community supports its residents with housing, transportation, health care and other resources. Bangor’s 2023 livability index score of 58, as measured by AARP, sits above the national average score of 48.

A higher livability score could attract new residents and businesses at a time when the city’s population has remained relatively stagnant while southern Maine has welcomed hordes of new residents, according to Anja Collette, Bangor’s planning officer.

The application to become a Bee City and annual renewal each cost $300, Collette said.