Well Hello Friday

Wishing You A BEE-UTIFUL Summer!

Bumblebee Trouble

The honey bee is in serious trouble and a recent article by National Geographic explains that their cousins, the bumblebees, have contracted some trouble of their own. According to a study titled: "Disease Association Between Honeybees and Bumblebees As a Threat To Wild Pollinators", two diseases found in honey bees, Deformed Wing Virus and Nosema Ceranae, have spread to the bumblebees. These two pathogens have been referred to as a common contributor to colony collapse disorder in honey bees in both North America and Europe. Scientists in this study examined whether or not bumblebees were capable of contracting DWV (a virus) or Nosema Ceranae (a fungus) the experiment revealed that they could. The second step in the study was to examine bumblebees in 26 locations throughout Great Britain to determine whether the infections in local honey bees had crossed over to the wild bumblebee population. The results did not confirm that the honey bees were the cause of the transfer but 11 percent of the bumblebees tested did have DWV and 7 percent tested positive for Nosema Ceranae. The results of this study confirm that honey bee pollinators are not the only species of bee we need to keep an eye on. This is yet another opportunity to take action and get involved to save the bees.

Build Your Own Hive

There are numerous books, guides, videos and more to help you master the art of beekeeping. Ask any beekeeper and you will be amazed at their excitement and satisfaction from picking up such a worthy hobby. Get creative with your hive and have fun! Check out this video with beekeeper William Alldis on how to assemble your hive.

We know there are some solutions to saving the bees. We can plant flowers, buy organic, support local keepers, start beekeeping at home, and demand the EPA to discontinue the use of harmful pesticides and insecticides. So lets say you want to start beekeeping. You might be asking yourself where do I begin? What equipment and supplies will I need? Let's take a look!

• A smoker to calm and settle the bees
• A hive tool to assist in opening hives and moving frames
• A hive stand serving as the base to keep the hive dry and increase air flow
• A bottom board that sits on top of the hive stand
• Hive bodies as brood and storage for bee food
• Frames for holding brood and honey
• Supers for bees to store the honey
• A queen excluder which will eliminate the queen from entering the supers
• A feeder to provide food for the bees
• Protective clothing 
• And of course BEES! search online for local providers

Stop The Madness!

The company Bayer is a giant in the chemical production world and they are furious about the recent European ban that eliminates the use of their pesticides for two years. Despite the fact that their chemical pesticides are contributing to the decline in the bee population and threatening the future food supply of the world, they have filed a lawsuit against the European Commission in hopes they will overturn the decision. If you want to put an end to the Bayer lawsuit, sign the petition and let your voice be heard.