What About the Bees ... ?

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