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The Cherokee Nation received two native bee houses from The Bee Conservancy organization this week through the organization's Sponsor-A-Hive program. The new houses were installed Wednesday and will be among 16 other bee pollinator homes in the tribe's heirloom garden, which were installed in 2020 as part of an initiative by First Lady January Hoskin to boost the population of pollinators.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. would encourage people to come out and visit the garden. He said the wonderful bee houses will be on display.

Pollinators are crucial to the survival of Earth's ecosystems, with nearly 80-percent of the crops grown around the world requiring pollination by animals or insects. According to The Bee Conservancy, one in four species are at risk of extinction, with more than half of North America's native bee species being in decline. With the expansion of industrial agriculture and human development, habitat loss is the primary threat to pollinators.

You can view Chief Hoskin Jr. touring the garden and talking about the bee houses below:

The Cherokee Nation's heirloom garden is home to over 200 different traditional plants and 26 crops that were used by Cherokees hundreds of years ago for food, ceremonies and medicinal purposes. The heirloom crops and native plants grown each year in the garden also help replenish the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank, which provides seeds to tribal citizens who are interested in growing their own tradition Cherokee crops.

Photo courtesy: Anadisgoi