Susquehanna First Campus in Pennsylvania to be Certified by Bee Campus USA

SELINSGROVE, PA – Susquehanna University is the first university in Pennsylvania to be certified as an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program, designed to marshal the strengths of educational campuses for the benefit of pollinators. 

“We are very proud to be the first college or university in the state to achieve this recognition,” says Derek Martin, sustainability coordinator at Susquehanna. “We have worked very hard at Susquehanna to make our campus a hospitable environment for honey bees and all pollinators. This recognition is confirmation that we’re doing the right things to support pollinators and our local environment.”

Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the world's wild plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.

Susquehanna joins more than 100 other cities and campuses across the country united in improving their landscapes for pollinators. Already, the university:

  • Maintains three bee hives at the Center for Environmental Education and Research (CEER) on Sassafras Street
  • Founded the student-run Beekeepers Club, which maintains the bee hives at the CEER
  • Planted two large plots of wildflowers to promote pollination
  • Holds pollinator awareness events during Earth Week 
  • Convened a Bee Committee, a subcommittee of the university’s Sustainability Committee

Certified campuses must renew their certification each year by reporting on accomplishments from the previous year.

Moving forward, Susquehanna’s Department of Facilities will draft an integrated pest management plan to govern the use of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides, which is already limited on campus and not used at all at the CEER.

Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA are initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, OR, with offices across the country. Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities and campuses to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of pesticides.

Featured

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • California Boarding School Opens New Inquiry Collaborative Facility

    Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, Calif., for students grades 9–12, recently announced that it has finished renovating a historic dining hall into a new academic hub, according to a news release. The school partnered with Blackbird Architects and Tangram Interiors on the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Inquiry Collaborative.

  • ECM Technologies Wins ‘Most Innovative Business of the Year’ Award

    HVAC preventative maintenance and efficiency solutions provider ECM Technologies was recently named the “Most Innovative Business of the Year” at the 2025 Champions of Change Awards, according to a news release. The program recognizes Arizona business leaders and organizations taking steps to make a positive impact on the state through innovative thinking and philanthropy.

  • Creating a First and Lasting Impression with Thoughtful, Sustainable Design

    Clemson University’s Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center serves as the new front door to campus, anchoring the Tiger experience through each step in the student journey.

Digital Edition