World Bee Day!

Happy World Bee Day! Unfortunately, even though we have begun to recognize how important bees are to our global food supply and nature as a whole, bees are still in decline. Most of this is due to loss of natural habitat, but it also due to the increased use of pesticides.

We as a world are dependent on bees. And that's not just because honey tastes good on toast...it's because at least a third of our food directly relies on bees for pollination. Grain crops are pollinated by the wind, but all fruits and nuts, and almost all vegetables, are almost exclusively pollinated by bees. If you love apples, melons, carrots, onions, and lemons, we need to keep bees around!

Organizations like the Honeybee Conservancy are amazing (if you have the ability to donate and volunteer), but what can you do to help the bees in your local town or your own backyard? Well, bees need food, shelter, and somewhere to raise their young, so we can all do our part:

• Plant nectar-bearing flowers for decorative purposes on your balcony or in your garden. 
• Go native and encourage wildness - opt for native trees, shrubs, wildflowers (bees LOVE bluebonnets here in Texas), and grasses where possible. Have "wilder" areas in your garden that are undisturbed. Change the way you think about weeds: Butterflies love thistles, and dandelions are an important food for hungry queen bumblebees raising their young.
• Buy honey and other hive products from your nearest local beekeeper. 
• Raise awareness among children and adolescents on the importance of bees and express your support for beekeepers. The Bee Movie is a great one to teach little kids how important bees are to our environment. 
• Set up a bee house on your balcony or in your garden; you can either make it yourself or buy one at the store.
• Be natural: pesticides are harmful to all pollinators - you can reduce the amount of chemicals that enter the food chain by gardening in a more natural way. If you absolutely have to use pesticides, choose to use pesticides that are not harmful to bees, and spray them in windless weather, either early in the morning or late at night, when bees have withdrawn from the blossoms.

How do you protect and encourage the bees in your community? What steps can you make in the future to make a more bee-friendly world? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions below!