Bee There: Celebrate Pollinator Week in the Champaign-Urbana Area
Top photo credit: Erinn Dady
It’s National Pollinator Week! The Champaign-Urbana area is celebrating these tiny creatures that keep the world in bloom with free, family-friendly events through Sunday. There’s something for everyone: nature lovers, gardeners, science fans, students, parents, and the pollinator-curious.
Wednesday, June 24
This afternoon, Talk with a Beekeeper at The Hive in Mahomet. This relaxed, all-ages class, held from 3 to 4 pm, explores how we “came to bee,” what honey bees are up to this time of year, and why pollinators matter so much. You can also roll a small beeswax candle to take home. Pretty sweet! The class is free, but tickets are required due to limited space.
Over in Champaign, The Scratching Post Board Game & Cat Café is getting in on the fun with pollinator-themed board games starting at 6 pm. Before you come in to play with the adoptable cats, adopt one, and name it “Honey,” learn about pollinators, pick up a pollinator-friendly catmint seed packet while supplies last, and play one of 10 pollinator-themed games. Game passes are $5 per person, and tables can be reserved in advance.
Thursday, June 25
Get a serious look at pollinators during Bugging Out with Bugscope at the Beckman Institute in Urbana or online via Zoom. The Bugscope team will use light microscopes and a scanning electron microscope to examine insect pollinators and pollen. Online participants can join anytime from 2–5 pm and ask questions as they watch.
Later, head back to The Hive in Mahomet for Secret Life of Bees, an all-ages class exploring how honeybees see color, communicate, and navigate the world. It’s an eye-opening look inside the hive, complete with a “free-bee”(!) to take home. It starts at 3 pm and requires tickets due to limited space.
Thursday night brings two very different ways to celebrate. Adults can buzz over to 25 O’Clock Brewing Company in Urbana for Pollinator Trivia Night, full of fun facts and friendly competition. You can also join the Pollinator Week Night Hike at Meadowbrook Park, where entomologist Sreelakshmi Suresh and Illinois Extension Educator Karla Griesbaum will lead an evening stroll focused on nighttime pollinators and conservation.
Friday, June 26
Friday’s event brings science, storytelling, and a title you won’t forget. At The Literary in Champaign, University of Illinois Entomology Department Head May Berenbaum will present “When Bees Get Buzzed and Wasps Get Wasted—Insects and Alcohol.” This all-ages science talk explores how insects interact with fermented foods and alcohol, and what those behaviors reveal about ecology and evolution.
Saturday, June 27
Saturday is packed with hands-on fun! At the Pollinatarium in Urbana, families can sign up for Family Visits to the Hive at 9, 10, or 11 am. Each one-hour visit includes time suiting up and observing the hives. Space is limited to six people per visit, making it a memorable, up-close experience for curious kids and adults alike.
That afternoon at the Pollinatarium, you can enjoy Bingo, Crafts, and Observation, a family-friendly way to learn more about pollinators through activities and exploration.
In Urbana, Common Ground Food Co-op will offer Arts and Crafts from 10 am to noon. Stop by to make tissue-paper flowers, flower crowns, pipe cleaner insects, and more.
Saturday evening brings Mead at the Museum to the Museum of the Grand Prairie in Mahomet. Nature lovers, history buffs, and curious foodies can see honeybees at work in an enclosed hive, sample honey from The Hive Honey Beetique, buy mead from TreeHive Meadery, enjoy storytelling rooted in local history, and tour the museum’s botanical garden. It’s crafted with adults in mind, though kids can attend with a grownup.
Sunday, June 28
Close out the week by helping real science happen. BeeBlitz, hosted by BeeSpotter, invites nature lovers in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio to get outside, snap photos of honey bees and bumble bees, and upload their findings to BeeSpotter. Locally, participants can join in at Meadowbrook Park, the Pollinatarium, or virtually, but you can go BeeBlitzing anytime during the weekend.
For gardeners and butterfly fans, the Urbana Free Library will host Gardening for Butterflies, a presentation by Master Naturalists Diane Wilhite and Gary Russell, at 1 pm. Learn how native plants can attract and support pollinators in your own garden, with time for questions at the end.
All week long
Pollinator fun continues throughout the week with Pollinator Week book displays at our libraries, featuring books about bees, butterflies, gardening, field guides, science stories, and vibrant reads for kids.
You can also stop by the Anita Purves Nature Center in Urbana for a self-guided pollinator exhibit featuring specimens, posters, and educational displays highlighting local pollinators and the essential role they play in our ecosystems.
Bring the kids, bring a friend, bring your curiosity, and maybe leave with a seed packet, a new favorite bee fact, or the urge to plant something native.