Board votes to support the efforts of Floyd becoming a certified Bee City
Ahead of the 2026 Learning from the Bees international conference next month, the Board of Supervisors recently voted in favor of supporting efforts to turn Floyd into an official Bee City.
Ahead of the 2026 Learning from the Bees international conference next month, the Board of Supervisors recently voted in favor of supporting efforts to turn Floyd into an official Bee City.
Alexander Tuchman, director of Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary, gave a presentation to the Board on Aug. 11, detailing the process of becoming a certified Bee City, and explained the significance of hosting Learning from the Bees in Floyd, Sept. 25-27.
Tuchman explained that the Bee City USA initiative is a part of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which aims to "Bring Back the Pollinators" following four "pollinator conservation principles": growing pollinator-friendly flowers, providing nesting sites, avoiding pesticides, and spreading the word. Tuchman said that the mission of Xerces overlaps with that of Spikenard here in Floyd because its mission is "in service of the honeybees."
"It turns out that when you plant a lot of flowers for honeybees, everybody shows up at the table," Tuchman said, referring to other types of native pollinators that are "showing up more and more" at Spikenard and creating a balance with the honeybees. Floyd County alone has between 80 and 100 species of bees.
At least two endangered species have been identified at Spikenard: the rusty patched bumble bee, and the sculptured resin bee. Tuchman said they are the first ones to be identified in all of Virginia. "Having creatures like that show up here has been really special," he said, adding that the natural habitat of the Blue Ridge Plateau is really supportive of pollinators, including the honeybee. "What we've done at the sanctuary is see how we can further that."
Tuchman said that Spikenard has educational programs going on all of the time and is always trying to teach people the importance of pollinators: plant reproduction, food production, natural food chains, and more.
One upcoming educational effort at Spikenard, an international conference titled "Learning from the Bees," started in the Netherlands in 2018, bringing together 300 participants from about 30 countries to share in the spirit in the "World Hive" and "explore the many ways bees inspire a deeper kinship with the Earth, each other, and other nonhumans alike." The 2019 event took place in Berlin, followed by Oxfordshire, UK, in 2023, and now in Floyd for its fourth event Sept. 25-27 at the Floyd EcoVillage.
Mark J. Harris
Floyd County Farm Bureau
(540) 745-2021
335 E. Oxford St.
Floyd VA 24091
Tuchman said Spikenard is in the process of developing a community committee that is interested in pursuing a Bee City USA certification for Floyd to help address "pollinators in peril" due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and disease. The committee (and community) would follow the pollinator conservation principles, come to their own agreements, and set their own local goals/programming, Tuchman said.
Communities around the country and around the world are developing their own commitments that become a hub "of advocacy for the life and well-being of the pollinators," Tuchman explained.
The Xerces Society suggests representatives from local governments, nonprofits, engaged citizens, and local experts on each committee, and Tuchman noted that the group is already working with Partnership for Floyd, Floyd Flower Power, Sustain Floyd, and others to make plans for enhancing pollinator habitats on both public and private land.
Tuchman said that representatives from Bee City USA said that with Spikenard's work and the work of other sustainability groups in Floyd, the area is already a good candidate to become a certified Bee City and help raise awareness of pollinators and how to support them.
Supervisor Chairman Joe Turman (Burks Fork) said he noticed this year while mowing hay was that there weren't many bumble bees around. "It sort of bothers me," he said, adding that he thinks it's an effort the county should support.
Vice-Chairman Jerry Boothe (Courthouse) agreed. "We are a farming community. Farmers know that the pollinators are important to any food you raise. The whole thing is connected," he said.
Supervisor Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch (Little River) said that hosting Learning with Bees in Floyd "is a big deal. Kudos to all the work you have been doing for all these years."
The Board held two votes related to becoming a Bee City, and the first was for Supervisors DeVito Kuchenbuch to serve on the community committee on behalf of the county. The second was to support the efforts of Tuchman and the local committee in the efforts of securing the certification for Floyd. Both were unanimous votes of approval.
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Also during the Aug. 11 meeting:
Chad Alls, director of Floyd County Social Services, presented monthly data to the Board and reviewed some recent changes. He said there has been "a lot of training and new policies" handed down from the state to local level, as well as some "payment error rates" that have caused some headaches related to SNAP and Medicaid. Alls explained that the whole department has been participating in state-provided training that has allowed them to get the local error rate below state average.
Alls said that the department has been interviewing for two positions: one solely for Child Protective Services and one hybrid position between Child and Adult protective services.
Supervisor Levi Cox (Locust Grove) said he appreciates the transparency that he has been seeing throughout the department.
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Floyd County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jessica Cromer said the FCPS team was ready for the first day of school. She said that TeachFest, this summer's professional development opportunity for teachers, had 110 attendees, with seven teachers from out of the county. The day featured 32 sessions that teachers could choose from.
Cromer also noted that FCPS was able to reduce class sizes at Willis and Floyd elementaries by adding another teacher to each location. This year saw 23 new hires across the school system, which Cromer said is a “great group of folks... We all look forward to welcoming everybody.”
County Administrator Kim Chiddo noted for the Board and Superintendent Cromer that the “schools will be a part of the radio system, in order to have safety for the students. We will make that happen.”
Chiddo also said that the new Building Inspector and Animal Control officers spent their first week of work getting the facilities ready. Each new team member "brings a wealth of knowledge" to their position, she said.
At Animal Control specifically, the three new employees spent their first week "meeting the dogs in our care, cleaning and organizing, deep cleaning all the kennels and storage space," and creating "plans to improve" the operation.
