Parts 3 & 4: We Need to Help Save the Bees
by Carol L.
For our natural food chain to survive, to ensure the global food supply and our plants natural balance, it is imperative that our bees and every living thing on our planet survive. Nearly 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to reproduce, providing food and shelter for animals.
What is Causing Decline in our Bee Population?
- Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides
- Habitat loss - for instance, flowering meadows are disappearing due to expanding urban areas
- Global warming
- Colony collapse disorder
So, What Can You Do?
- Plant native wildflowers and flowering shrubs, and if you have the space, flowering trees such as apple, pears, plums and cherry
- Stop mowing a portion of your lawn and sow clover. Let dandelions live.
- If you have just a small space, such as some city dwellers, hang a potted basket of native plants, herbs, or veggies. Set a small saucer with pebbles and water.
- Most bees nest in wood, dried stems or in the ground. Provide some bare sunny soil for ground dwelling bees.
- Keep at least part of your garden untidy until as late as possible in the Spring. Dead plant stems are the perfect place for the young of native bees, and some other insects, to overwinter.
- Support smaller local organic farms
- Grow some of your own food - flowering vegetables, fruits and herbs
- Buy your honey from local beekeepers
- Have BEE awareness!
