To keep the buzz going on our three-year partnership with Butterfly Pavilion, we’re co-sponsoring a series of events and giveaways throughout 2021, starting right now in April with The Beauty of Beekeeping.

For those who don’t know, Butterfly Pavilion is the first AZA-accredited nonprofit invertebrate zoo in the world, located on an eleven-acre site in Westminster, Colorado. They provide unique exhibits and educational programs, conduct zoological research and generally make conservation possible around the world.

One of Butterfly Pavilion’s cornerstone programs is PACE: Pollinator Awareness through Conservation and Education. A portion of proceeds from every bottle of Local Hive goes toward PACE and furthering their mission of supporting our pollinators.

Which leads us to the $20 billion dollar question: why focus on beekeepers this month, and not bugs?

Do beekeepers count as pollinators?

Any insect, animal or human that conveys pollen from a flower’s stamen to stigma is a pollinator. While beekeepers aren’t physically moving the pollen grains by hand – talk about tedious – they are choosing where to place their hives. By doing this, they’re influencing which plants and crops their “managed honey bees” visit, which ends up making a much bigger impact than any single insect or animal. Because bees travel up to 2 miles from their hives in search of pollen, a single beehive can result in millions of flowers being pollinated nearby. If a beekeeper shows up in town in early spring and stays through the summer, you’ll notice. And if beekeepers disappeared, you’d really notice, because their managed honey bee pollination is responsible for some $20 billion of crop production every year. This includes many of our favorite fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Bottling Honey with Butterfly Pavilion

Last year, our partnership with Butterfly Pavilion produced some pretty sweet results for everyone, not just pollinators, when we bottled honey produced on site at Butterfly Pavilion. This highly exclusive varietal has a powerfully floral, incredibly sweet taste and is limited to 400 bottles available only at Butterfly Pavilion. But, if you’re not a local Colorado resident, you still have a chance to try it. Keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway later this month featuring our Butterfly Pavilion varietal.

This spring, we also put together a visit from the 2021 American Honey Queen, Jennifer Hinkel, and Honey Princess, Virginia Allen. You can watch their interviews with Butterfly Pavilion’s Mario Padilla here and here.

There’s always something new happening at Butterfly Pavilion. For regular updates, follow them on Facebook, or, if you’re near Denver, come pay them a visit.