Environment

The first attempt to attract native swarms to our apiary was not as successful as we hoped, although the bees did take an interest.

Formosa’s agricultural center has started a new bee program. This program will research what we will need to actively manage colonies of these essential pollinators on our properties. The goal will be to increase the population of bees in our area and provide a sanctuary for bees that are looking for homes. Before we start […]

We had a breakthrough that significantly improved seed germination and plant growth and we now produce 6,000 plants per year (6 species) and native species of milkweed are donated to local organizations. Our next step is to plant native species of milkweed in our rangelands, wetlands, and forests.

Formosa begins the monarch butterfly project as a partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). They approached us to see if we could produce milkweed plants, which can be tricky to grow, in order to restore monarch habitats in South Texas. The goal is to provide essential milkweed plants and shelter for […]

Monarch butterflies are a threatened species, whose numbers have decreased 90% over the past 20 years. Thankfully, populations are making a slow but steady recovery. Our efforts, along with other organizations and concerned citizens, are aiding with this improvement.