Read more about the efforts to make the campus more hospitable to a variety of pollinators in the spring issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
What is all the buzz about on the seventh-floor green roof of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Health Sciences Research Facility III (HSRFIII)?
Honeybees are busy making honey in hives on the roof. The UMB Office of Sustainability worked with Baltimore’s Bee Friendly Apiary to install the hives this spring as part of efforts to make the campus more hospitable to a variety of pollinators through ecological landscaping projects.
In addition to producing honey, bees contribute significantly to our ecosystems. As pollinators, bees play an important role in our agricultural industry; without them, many of our crops would falter and die. Without bees, our springs would also be a lot less colorful and bright, as approximately 80 percent of flowering plants depend on bees for their pollination. By providing urban hives, UMB is helping to protect bees from pests, habitat loss, and other threats they face.
“A world without bees would be sad indeed,” says Anthony Consoli, university architect, who has been advocating for the integration of more pollinator-friendly plants in landscaping projects across campus. “Suddenly the following would all disappear: apples, coffee, almonds, cocoa, avocados, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and most nuts. All of us need to do so much more to protect these miracle workers of nature so very instrumental to our own health and nutrition.”
Read more about the project in the spring issue of CATALYST magazine.
You can read the Spring 2023 issue of CATALYST magazine, which highlights the work of the University's women deans; the School of Medicine’s research to fight malaria; the School of Nursing’s partnership with Enoch Pratt Library to offer health care; the Graduate School’s new MS in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership; and much, much more!