Our bees are
rapidly going extinct.
So will humans soon after if they do.
I know that's alarmist and melodramatic sounding, but I'm not trying to be. It's the truth. These insects are the ONLY way many of the plants we depend on for food can reproduce.
Pesticides, diseases, parasites, and GMO plants are destroying our honeybees. If you eat honey, haven't you noticed how expensive honey is these days? That's because bee keepers are watching helplessly as the entire hives and multiple hives collapse and die.
But there is still hope. Don't feel helpless...there is a LOT you can do.
If you keep a garden, that's a gigantic start. I know you started it just because you enjoy messing around in dirt or wanted to grow cheaper food (Ok, I might just be talking about myself here), but gardens are critical for keeping our towns and cities healthy! Including some of these plants when you hit the garden stores this spring is one of the easiest things you can do to help the bees.
If you don't garden or can't garden, that doesn't mean you still can't help! I'd like to point you to investigating and keeping Mason bees...even folks who live in apartments can keep them!
Mason bees are tiny little bees that do not produce honey. They build their nests in reed holes. They gather and shape mud to create a multi-roomed nursery (which is how they got their name of “Mason” bee). They create a wall, fill the room with pollen, and lay one egg. Then they seal the room up and create the next one. After their work is finished, the parents pass away. The babies are born, eat the pollen, and then make little cocoons (called pupae) and sleep the rest of the year until they wake up again the next spring as adults to start the cycle over again.
They are WONDERFUL for children! They're seriously cute and fuzzy little things, and they are such little sweethearts! I could play with them in my hands for hours. They so docile that you can pick them up and hold them gently without fear of getting stung. While they do have the ability to sting, it's really difficult to get them to do it...unless you're squeezing them or hurting them somehow. Unlike honeybees, they aren't territorial and have no real need to defend their nests. They're generally safe to have around even if you or your family are allergic to bee stings (investigate and decide for yourself on that one, you know your medical needs better than anyone).
They are very cheap to buy, are incredibly easy to keep, are hardier and more resistant to diseases and pesticides, are powerhouse pollinators for your garden and the gardens of your neighbors, and because they do not produce honey, there are no hives to upkeep (which is a LOT of work).
All you need is a little bee box and some reeds or skinny tubes of cardboard for them to make their nests, and a tupperwear to keep the cocoons somewhere safe and cool after Spring is over till next year.
Check this wonderful website for more information:
http://www.crownbees.com/mason-bees/
If you can't keep bees or a garden...then you can STILL help. Open your mouths. Talk. Speak. Raise awareness!
The next time a friend asks, "So what have you been up to lately?" tell them, "I've been learning about bee keeping!" THAT will almost certainly spark a conversation and you will have done an incredibly huge thing to make the world a better place.
Or move your mouse and share this post. Put it on your Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever you use so others can see. That's a big thing too! You have the eternal thanks of the world if you do.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, cheap, or meager it may seem is ever wasted.
So will humans soon after if they do.
I know that's alarmist and melodramatic sounding, but I'm not trying to be. It's the truth. These insects are the ONLY way many of the plants we depend on for food can reproduce.
Pesticides, diseases, parasites, and GMO plants are destroying our honeybees. If you eat honey, haven't you noticed how expensive honey is these days? That's because bee keepers are watching helplessly as the entire hives and multiple hives collapse and die.
But there is still hope. Don't feel helpless...there is a LOT you can do.
If you keep a garden, that's a gigantic start. I know you started it just because you enjoy messing around in dirt or wanted to grow cheaper food (Ok, I might just be talking about myself here), but gardens are critical for keeping our towns and cities healthy! Including some of these plants when you hit the garden stores this spring is one of the easiest things you can do to help the bees.
If you don't garden or can't garden, that doesn't mean you still can't help! I'd like to point you to investigating and keeping Mason bees...even folks who live in apartments can keep them!
Mason bees are tiny little bees that do not produce honey. They build their nests in reed holes. They gather and shape mud to create a multi-roomed nursery (which is how they got their name of “Mason” bee). They create a wall, fill the room with pollen, and lay one egg. Then they seal the room up and create the next one. After their work is finished, the parents pass away. The babies are born, eat the pollen, and then make little cocoons (called pupae) and sleep the rest of the year until they wake up again the next spring as adults to start the cycle over again.
They are WONDERFUL for children! They're seriously cute and fuzzy little things, and they are such little sweethearts! I could play with them in my hands for hours. They so docile that you can pick them up and hold them gently without fear of getting stung. While they do have the ability to sting, it's really difficult to get them to do it...unless you're squeezing them or hurting them somehow. Unlike honeybees, they aren't territorial and have no real need to defend their nests. They're generally safe to have around even if you or your family are allergic to bee stings (investigate and decide for yourself on that one, you know your medical needs better than anyone).
They are very cheap to buy, are incredibly easy to keep, are hardier and more resistant to diseases and pesticides, are powerhouse pollinators for your garden and the gardens of your neighbors, and because they do not produce honey, there are no hives to upkeep (which is a LOT of work).
All you need is a little bee box and some reeds or skinny tubes of cardboard for them to make their nests, and a tupperwear to keep the cocoons somewhere safe and cool after Spring is over till next year.
Check this wonderful website for more information:
http://www.crownbees.com/mason-bees/
If you can't keep bees or a garden...then you can STILL help. Open your mouths. Talk. Speak. Raise awareness!
The next time a friend asks, "So what have you been up to lately?" tell them, "I've been learning about bee keeping!" THAT will almost certainly spark a conversation and you will have done an incredibly huge thing to make the world a better place.
Or move your mouse and share this post. Put it on your Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever you use so others can see. That's a big thing too! You have the eternal thanks of the world if you do.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, cheap, or meager it may seem is ever wasted.
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