Drivers in Missouri will soon have another specialty license plate option, and this one features one of the state’s important pollinators: Honey bees.
The Missouri State Beekeepers Association is rolling out the new license plate. It’s the color of honey – a golden yellow – with a honey bee sitting on a hexagon to mimic part of a honeycomb. On the bottom are the words “Bee friendly.”
"It's an easy, quick way to kind of see that somebody is supporting beekeeping and, really, pollinators in general," said Clayton Lee, historian and past president of the Missouri State Beekeepers Association.
He said the license plates will help fund research on bee health and support educational programs for beekeepers and the public.
The association hosts two conferences each year for beekeepers, which features experts in beekeeping. Clayton said beekeepers can learn techniques to keep their bees health and happy, "so to speak, if we know what happy is to a bee."
He points out that bees are important for the environment and for crops.
There are around 50 local beekeeping clubs statewide that are associated with the state club, and beekeeping is prevalent throughout Missouri, according to Clayton.
Once the Missouri Department of Revenue receives 200 orders for the new plates, production will begin. Lee said, at last check, they were close to reaching that number.
