How Can I Make A Difference?

You may be asking yourself how you can help make a difference. There is much to do but it will be worth every ounce of the effort you contribute. Below I have offered a few suggestions of what you can do to help rebuild and contribute for a brighter healthier tomorrow!

1. Reduce or eliminate the use of harmful pesticides. From the early 1970s to today, pesticides have continued to be the number 1 contributor to the rapid decline of the honey bee. It all starts here!

2. Do your best to purchase and consume healthy, natural, organic food. Organically grown foods are grown without the use of harmful pesticides and serve as a natural bee friendly environment.

3. Get active in the pursuit of decreasing the amount of deforestation in your area and across the globe. Honey bees prefer to build their hives in the tops of very large trees. Bees require water just like the rest of us in order to digest food and dilute honey. Large trees provide the necessary supply to sustain large colonies of bees.

4. Grow bee friendly flowers and crops in your own garden. Bees are pollinators and they need a place to go and pollinate. You can personally provide a rich bee friendly garden right in your back yard.

5. Lend your support to bee keepers in your area! Now that you have a little better understanding of the importance bees have on the sustainability of our food supply, show your support. Buy products like honey from your local bee keepers!

6. Become a bee keeper yourself! This may not "bee" your cup of tea, but it is one way to ensure that bees won't  become extinct on your watch!

There are a number of ways you can become active in your community. The first step in any process is to gain a greater understanding and gather as much information as you can get your hands on. Stay up to date on current news related to the decline of the honey bee and spread the word to everyone you know! The more people that are aware of the issue, the more likely we are to succeed in protecting these remarkably beautiful contributors of life! 

You can make a difference!

Bees Bring It All Together

Have you ever taken a bite out of bright red apple and said "Boy those bees make a delicious meal"? Probably not, but you may need to take a closer look at the brilliance of nature's top chefs! Honeybees are the hidden force that drives our food supply and graciously pollinates more than 100 different crops in the United States alone. They are responsible for feeding nearly 1 in 3 American mouths every single day and their contributions bring more than $14 BILLION in crop revenue. I would venture to guess that the majority of Americans are unaware of how important these little creatures are. When we think of bees, or come in contact with one, we have a natural instinct to run the other way or hurl our shoe across the room in hopes of ending the existence of that little horrifying insect. I have no desire to be stung by a flying nightmare, and I'm sure you would rather kick the night stand walking barefoot in the dark than to have to endure the sting of a bee. The fact of the matter is we are in for a much more painful sting should we lose the honeybee population... and that is exactly what's happening.
The honey bee population has been on an accelerating decline for years now in large part to harmful pesticides such as neonicotinoids and deforestation which destroys trees in which they live. There is also a widespread phenomena known as Colony Collapse Disorder that has rapidly destroyed more than 30% of the global bee populations annually. These threats are very serious and have reached the point of a major threat level. Think of it this way, according to a report published on Fox News, if bees go extinct you can kiss many of our favorite foods goodbye including; apples, almonds, blueberries, cherries, avocados, cucumbers, onions, oranges, pumpkins and grapefruit. These are just ten of the nearly 100 crops that bees contribute to. We haven't even talked about the flowers these little guys help grow. Who wants to live in a world where food becomes more scarce than a Van Gogh painting? In all reality, who can live in a world with no food? You guessed it...Nobody! Now is the time to get more involved and start playing a more active role as protector to the honeybee population that has so lovingly given life to our planet and its occupants!