MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. (WIAT) — Mountain Brook is consistently named one of the best places to live in Alabama, and now that’s the case for the bees too.

Mountain Brook is abuzz with the news it’s the first city in the state to be named a “Bee City USA.” Bee City USA is a national non-profit that helps cities protect and preserve their bee populations.

The city of Mountain Brook says they’re excited to be the latest community committed to growing their bee population. Auburn and UAB are Bee Campus USA affiliates.

“Mountain Brook is a beautiful area with a lot of natural ecosystem, landscape … We just really are ready to promote setting the example in the state of Alabama, setting the example to other cities, setting the example to our community to be responsible stewards of the land that we have,” said Dana Hazen, Director of Planning, Building and Sustainability for the City of Mountain Brook.

Through this new partnership, the city will reduce pesticides, grow more plants and pollinator habitats, and educate the public on how to help Mother Nature’s tiniest and most tenacious warrior.

That’s the kind of news Wayne Boshell, the owner of Boshell Bees in Mulga, likes to hear. He’s been a beekeeper for about eight years.

“Hearing about Mountain Brook inspires me to call them up and look into what they’ve done. Maybe my town can do it, maybe your town can also,” Boshell said.

He said Alabama is losing about 30 to 40 percent of its bees each year, and it’s only getting worse thanks to pesticides, disease, construction and climate change. Without bees, he guarantees you’ll feel the sting.

“Without bees, our society, our food drops down to almost nothing. We don’t have almonds, we don’t have strawberries or blueberries without honeybees,” Boshell said. “We’d be lost without them … All we can do is just try to be more Earth friendly.”