TYLER, Texas — Tyler is home to the nation's largest rose garden, but there's more to it than just different colored roses.
Keep Tyler Beautiful’s Bee City Committee has partnered up with Boys Scouts of America and the East Texas Beekeepers Association for the construction of a bee observatory at the Tyler Rose Garden.
“Our mission is to educate and raise awareness in our community on the importance of all pollinator species, including bees,” Keep Tyler Beautiful Community Coordinator, Belen Casillas, said. “We are very excited about this project.”
The construction and installation of the bees will be completed by April 2021. Phase one of the project has begun with the construction of the structure’s platform, wall and roof. Phase two and three will include the building and installation of the beehive, a structure intended to house a colony.
“That wall has a tiny little hole that's going to connect the beehive so the bees can come in and out," Casillas said. "We're not going to be collecting honey from this bee observatory. Of course, there's going to be maintenance, but our goal is to educate the public. Our goal is for children and grownups to come in and observe on the bees, how they work and how they live together.”
The project is part of the City of Tyler’s mission to develop and implement pollinator-friendly habitats as a Bee City USA. The City of Tyler is one of four cities in Texas to be a Bee City USA, under the Keep Tyler Beautiful program.
For more information, you can visit our website at www.KeepTylerBeautiful.com or email Belen Casillas at bcsaillas@tylertexas.com.