I came away from my weekend feeling a few ways: Firstly, very sad and shocked about the world that we have created for the honeybees that is leading to their demise, and secondly, extremely hopeful and motivated to do all I can to help the bees where I live and to make choices that will help the world be a safe place for humans and bees.
To get a small glimpse of the scope of importance that bees and other pollinators play in our lives, think of this: every fruit and vegetable that you consume had to be pollinated...by a small winged creature! And if the pollination does not happen, then the flowers, trees, fruits, don't get to reproduce, the birds have less habitat, less food; it goes on and on in the cycle of interdependence. If we lived in a world without honeybees and other pollinators, we'd have to do this job by hand, flower by flower. This is precisely what is happening in the Sichuan province of China, where workers must pollinate each flower...EACH flower, by hand. Read more in this Newsweek article: "Stung by Bees" .
What is there for a foraging bee to find in your yard? Do you use pesticides? Round-Up or other weed-killers or herbicides? Bees are not equipped to break down these poisons and they bring the poisons, mixed with pollen, back to the hive, where it gets concentrated in the honey that you and I love to eat.
John Edwards, at Ruhl Bee Supply has this to say: "Bees love plants such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, lavender and Russian sage. The broader range of plants, the better. Plants that bloom in succession give bees an extended source of food over time, which is good for honeybees and pollinators."
This website has a list of plants that you can grow that are extremely beneficial for bees, as well as for us to eat and to make our yards beautiful: The Daily Green - plants for bees.
Ruhl Bee Supply in Gladstone, Oregon
Friendly Haven Farm
Bee Thinking
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts about Bees! I'd love to hear your stories and thoughts!
Dr. Cara
