Image courtesy of weheartit.com
Bees@Work courtesy of /kallu on flickr
I am posting today on behalf of the honey bee. We are all familiar with the little fellas- the incredible work ethic, the nasty stingers, the delicious honey- but I recently came across the Help the Honey Bees website and it made me really think about them.
I guess since I see bees zooming about my mum's herb garden and our lilacs I don't think of them as a threatened population. It seems, however, that honey bees have been dying off at a drastic rate and they are relied on for a lot more than the occasional sweetening of hot tea. The site noted that bees are responsible for the pollination of more than a hundred crops (we are talking about killer multitaskers as well apparently). I suggest checking the site out sometime to read about these fascinating insects, but there is something so simple you can do if you just want to make sure there are always bees buzzing around gardens and orchards...... plant.
The Honey Bee Conservancy has perfect tips for creating a bee-friendly garden. It really can be as simple as choosing native flowers and planning for season-round blooms. That seems to be the least we can do to make those buzzers busy lives a little less stressful!
thanks for the reminder. I keep thinking I'd like to have a hive or two in my backyard but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate it. I think the way to go is with plantings. Humans are responding a little late on this one I feel. I hope we can make up for it now.
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