JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Friday was the first ever World Bee Day celebration at the University of North Florida.
Dozens of people showed up to learn about the importance of bees and build little bee motels.
UNF is now a USA-certified bee campus, which is new this year. This means it will concentrate on having nectar sources, will reduce the number of pesticides they use that could interfere with pollinators, and will release to the public what kinds of pesticides they're using and why.
"Honey bees are responsible for about a third of the food that we eat, and other bees make up another half of the food that we eat," said Kevin Anderson, UNF Ogier Gardens Coordinator. "So on our dinner plate, a good half of it involves pollination that took place from a different insect that we need to preserve."
Anderson says there are about 315 different species of native bees in Florida. He's supporting 'No Mow May' in which mows are allowed to grow in order to support habitats.