Over the past several months, I have become more and more
concerned about Bees and the Colony Collapse situation. Some beekeepers
have lost a number of their colonies. The bees in the hives just seem to
vanish. This is a major problem for us, as human beings, because we rely
so much on bees and other pollinators for many of the fruits and other foods
that we eat. We also use honey as a food and in cosmetics. We use
beeswax for candles. The list goes on and on, and the point is that bees
give us many useful products and services. However, they are small and
they do sting, so we usually try to stay away from them or even get rid of
them. At the very least, most of us take them for granted.
My earliest memories of bees came from being stung. I remember feeling
really angry that this little bug had stung me when I wasn't bothering
it. My mom explained that the bee was trying to protect its hive.
So, I learned to give bees plenty of room when I heard them or saw them,
whether I could see the hive or not. My mom would always check the sting
to make sure the stinger was out. She said when a bee stings, the stinger
is torn out of the bee and the bee dies. When I was little, I thought
this was a fair trade since being stung hurt. Later, I decided that was
too bad for the bee, since I wasn't really too hurt by the sting, mostly just surprised. Fortunately, I do not have allergic reactions to bee stings or
any other kind of stings. Some people have very serious local or systemic
allergic reactions to stings and have to be very careful around anything with a
stinger.
When I was growing up, my dad always farmed and raised cattle and horses.
We lived in town, but I spent a lot of time with my dad on the farm. We
raised wheat, oats, and alfalfa. Alfalfa is a crop that needs pollination
and bees love alfalfa. My dad's barber was also a beekeeper. Every
year, after the alfalfa was up, "Red" would bring 10 to 20 hives out
to my dad's fields for pollination. Later in the year, "Red"
would harvest pure Alfalfa Honey from his hives. My dad got a well
pollinated alfalfa field and all the honey we could use. This was a great
partnership. When "Red" retired as a barber, he went into
beekeeping full time and had even more hives to bring to my dad and other farmers
for pollination.
When I started researching the Colony Collapse Disorder, I called Todd Hardie
who owns Honey Gardens in Vermont. Honey Gardens They provide excellent information and
a number of organic bee products. Todd said that our toxic environments
are the real cause behind the Colony Collapse Disorder. He said the bees
immune systems are being weakened by all the chemicals in our environment and
by chemicals used by non-organic beekeepers. He said bees are like the
canaries that were used in coal mines to detect harmful gases. If the
canary fell over in its cage and died, everyone knew it was time to get out of
the mine quick. Todd said the bees are telling us that our environment is
too toxic, even for bees. Another major alert coming from Mother Nature
... !
Todd made several suggestions for helping with this problem. He suggested
buying organic raw honey to support organic bee keepers. He said reducing
the use of chemicals on our lawns and around our homes would help all the
pollinators survive. And, even better, let the grass grow longer,
use a push mower whenever possible, and plant trees and shrubs that attract
bees and provide pollen.
There are plenty of good sites for looking up plants. Most seem to be regional.
The University of Georgia UGA Honey Bee Program has a
long listing of plants for bee foraging. Texas A & M has a site about bees. Honey Bee Information
There is also a website devoted to Pollinators Pollinators
And, the post office even has a beautiful set of "Pollinator"
stamps. More on Bees, Pollinators, and Colony Collapse Disorder in the
next post.
Today, we are off to the 8th Annual Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living
Fair in Fredericksburg, Texas. Roundup
This is supposed to be the biggest roundup yet, so I am really looking forward
to being there. I'll have news and information from this event in a later
post.
Have a great weekend and drive safely,
Mary Christopher
