Pollinator Week on the National Mall: Bringing Public Attention to the Importance of Pollinator Conservation in the US

June 21st, 2024

Pollinators play a critical role in the production of 100+ crops that the US depends upon, yet many are undergoing drastic declines that remain unrealized by most. National Pollinator Week and its festivities aim to bring attention to these declines and the ways in which we can prevent them, with one of the most anticipated events being the Pollinator Expo that is held on the National Mall in Washington D.C. in conjunction with the USDA Farmers Market each year.

From bees to birds to bats, the Pollinator Expo draws in the public to educate attendees on the dangers these organisms face and how they can help. My colleagues and I from the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, USA, do our part to run an outreach tent at the event each year.

At our tent, we showcase the research we do and how beekeepers apply our work to treat their hives against a myriad of parasites and pathogens, in addition to addressing the importance of proper management practices and the dangers of irresponsible pesticide use. We talk with hundreds of visitors each day, and each one leaves with more knowledge than they arrived with.

Year after year, as we experience both new faces and repeat attendees, I can confidently say that we are positively impacting public opinion and increasing public recognition of why pollinator conservation and the science that supports it are so important.