Bee Involved
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
We all can do something so simple……. plant food for our bees!
“Houston, we have a problem!”
Our USA managed honey bee colonies have declined drastically since 1945 from 4.5 million to
about 2 million as of 2007 (USDA-NASS). It is a confluence of factors. What happened???????
- Stopped using cover crops after WWII
- Went to synthetic fertilizers
- Started using herbicides to kill off weeds
- Many weeds are flowering plants that bees require for their survival
- Enter major new problems for the future
WHAT CAN WE DO
- Look up bee friendly flowers native to your area and plant them in your yard
- Provide a fresh water source too!
- Join a Bee Club, take a class, and become a beekeeper, LIKE ME!
- Diversify our farms – less monoculture
- Planting flowering cover crops to nourish soil and bees
- Plant flowering crop borders and hedge rows
Appreciate the beauty of weeds – Dandelions, clovers, loosestrife, milkweed, goldenrod and other flowering weeds are very important food sources for bees. In areas filled with green sprawling lawns, dandelions and clovers are vital plants for a bee’s survival. Let them grow and flower in your yard and you will soon have your own personal honeybee sanctuary. The next time you see a dandelion going to seed, grab it, blow those seeds around and feel good knowing you are doing your part to help save the bees. It can’t be simpler than that!
GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE INFO
Pollinator Partnership
https://www.pollinator.org/
The Bee Conservancy
https://thebeeconservancy.org/
Barnstable Beekeepers Association
https://www.barnstablebeekeepers.org/
Honey Bee Health Coalition
https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/
WHY DO I KEEP BEES?
- Because it is the RIGHT THING TO DO!
- I am doing it for everyone
- It is my hobby and my gift for the betterment of my little world
- It is my way to be a good steward of the land and it’s living things-both plants and animals
- I believe one person CAN make a difference
