Bee San Diego is a first-of-its-kind city-wide conservation campaign launching May 1, 2026, connecting local small businesses across Old Town, Barrio Logan, and Balboa Park to celebrate San Diego's native bees and fund a permanent native bee sanctuary at WorldBeat Cultural Center. Bee San Diego meets San Diegans through the things they already love — good food, coffee, a tattoo — and walks them from one neighborhood to the next, ending at a native bee sanctuary most of them never knew existed.
The San Diego Bee Trail Poker Run
The heart of Bee San Diego is the San Diego Bee Trail Poker Run — a self-guided city adventure that takes participants from Old Town to Barrio Logan to Balboa Park, collecting exclusive native bee illustration cards along the way.
Each confirmed trail stop holds one exclusive card, available only in person. Visit every stop, collect every card, and earn a free sixth card featuring a mystery endangered California bee species, whose identity is kept completely secret until the first person completes the trail and claims their card at WorldBeat Cultural Center. Every card purchase donates directly to the native bee sanctuary.
Confirmed Trail Stops
- Stop 1 — SAVAGE BEE-CHES · 2802 Juan St, Suite 19 · Old Town San Diego · Campaign HQ & Trail Start
- Stop 2 — Outdoor Traditions / Meg Knobel · Tattoo studio & campaign creative director · Illustration cards redeemable for permanent tattoos
- Stop 3 — Julia Mae's Kitchen · 2076 Logan Ave· Barrio Logan · "Unapologetically Blaxican" food & culinary arts
- Stops 4 & 5 · Additional San Diego community businesses · Coming soon
- Trail Destination — WorldBeat Cultural Center · 2100 Park Blvd · Balboa Park · Mystery card awarded here to trail completers
Six Native Bees. Six Stories.
Six San Diego native bee species have been selected from over 700 documented in the county and illustrated by campaign creative director Meg Knobel. Each bee is revealed through partner storytelling, one business, one bee, one chapter at a time in a pre-launch video series beginning in March 2026. The sixth bee's identity remains a secret until the trail is complete.
Ink For Pollinators- Any bee card can be redeemed for a tattoo which will also donate a portion to the campaign.
Where the Funds Go
Proceeds support the WorldBeat Cultural Center Native Bee Sanctuary in Balboa Park — a permanent public native bee habitat in San Diego's most visited park, designed to support year-round pollinator activity and serve as an outdoor classroom for K-12 programs, community outreach and workshops.
About Bee San Diego
Bee San Diego is organized by SAVAGE BEE-CHES, San Diego's only honey boutique, located in Old Town San Diego. Woman-, minority-, and veteran-owned. The campaign is a partnership with Outdoor Traditions tattoo studio, Julia Mae's Kitchen, and WorldBeat Cultural Center, with additional community business partners joining throughout the campaign window.
This campaign is open to any San Diego business that wants to be part of the story. Interested in joining as a trail partner or community sponsor? Contact us at info@savagebee-ches.boutique.
Campaign website: savagebee-ches.boutique/pages/bee-san-diego
Hashtags: #BeeSanDiego · #InkForPollinators · #SanDiegoBeeTrail
