Have you noticed that Buzz the bee has disappeared from many Cheerios cereal boxes? General Mills has removed the mascot’s as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the plight of real honeybees.
Bees of all stripes are currently in big trouble. The Center for Biological Diversity has found that more than half the species are in decline. Almost one in four is in increasing risk of extinction. The wide-spread use of bee killing pesticides are particular threats for honeybees and wild pollinators, and severe loss of formerly wild spaces due to development have all taken huge bites out of bee populations. This is bad news, even for people who don’t care about bugs— honeybees are responsible for pollinating 70 out of the 100 biggest human food crops.
The average person sitting down to dinner probably doesn’t realize the important role bees played in preparing that meal. Here’s something that might surprise you: One out of every three mouthfuls of food in the American diet is, in some way, a product of honeybee pollination—from fruit to nuts to coffee beans. And because bees are dying at a rapid rate (42 percent of bee colonies collapsed in the United States alone in 2015), our food supply is at serious risk. (National Resources Defense Council)
Things you can do to help bees.
Plant bee-friendly flowers and flowering herbs in your garden and yard. ... Weeds can be a good thing. Don't use chemicals and pesticides to treat your lawn or garden. Buy local, raw honey. Bees are thirsty. Put out a small bowl of water Get involved politically. Ask your representatives to pass, enforce and keep laws that will protect the bees.
To help in the effort, General Mills is giving away 100 million wildflower seeds. Go sign up, I hear they are going fast. And then get planting. I will have to wait for the 2 feet of snow this blizzard is dumping on me first. But as soon as Spring arrives, I will be doing my part.
To further spread the word, General Mills is giving away 100 million wildflower seeds.
This is a huge issue. Over here in Oregon it is a subject of deep concern, as it should be everywhere. Last summer or the summer before, a landscaping company sprayed a bunch of trees along a street and the death toll of bees from that one application of poison was staggering -- hundreds of thousands of bees. Bee activists immediately got on the ball to restrict Neonicotinoids from use in the state. Agriculture is big business here, and people listened. Plus, we are a bunch of known tree huggers and tree huggers love bees.
I always put out a pie plate of rocks and water for the bees in the dry months. Often, I am only hydrating the wasps and yellow jackets, but we do what we can.
Thank you for raising awareness of the bee crisis, 8. It's a real emergency. I just want to scream at those politicians who refuse to understand the science and say, 'You can't eat money, motherf**ker!' Ugh.
This is great. Not the crisis, but your putting it out there. In walking around my town I see many yards and gardens dedicated to bees and butterflies.
I don't know what happened - I tried to comment earlier, but it disappeared into the ether.
I have been concerned about bees for a while now. I buy perennials that don't contain neonicotinoids and have bee/butterfly gardens in both my front and back yards. I wish we'd follow Europe's lead and ban neonicotinoids entirely. We need our pollinators!
This is a huge issue. Over here in Oregon it is a subject of deep concern, as it should be everywhere. Last summer or the summer before, a landscaping company sprayed a bunch of trees along a street and the death toll of bees from that one application of poison was staggering -- hundreds of thousands of bees. Bee activists immediately got on the ball to restrict Neonicotinoids from use in the state. Agriculture is big business here, and people listened. Plus, we are a bunch of known tree huggers and tree huggers love bees.
ReplyDeleteI always put out a pie plate of rocks and water for the bees in the dry months. Often, I am only hydrating the wasps and yellow jackets, but we do what we can.
Thank you for raising awareness of the bee crisis, 8. It's a real emergency. I just want to scream at those politicians who refuse to understand the science and say, 'You can't eat money, motherf**ker!' Ugh.
You have "dry" months? : )
DeleteI think people always believe that science will save us. The bees are dying and now they're talking about robotic bees. Arggghhh!
This is great. Not the crisis, but your putting it out there. In walking around my town I see many yards and gardens dedicated to bees and butterflies.
ReplyDeleteWeeds? Check. :-)
Seriously, Thank you.
I do think people are becoming more aware, but I fear it may be too little too late.
DeleteOh, and we got snow too. Not 2 feet mind you, but enough.
ReplyDeleteBe careful out there.
I LOVE snow but it is officially Spring and I am ready to start seeing some green.
DeleteI don't know what happened - I tried to comment earlier, but it disappeared into the ether.
ReplyDeleteI have been concerned about bees for a while now. I buy perennials that don't contain neonicotinoids and have bee/butterfly gardens in both my front and back yards. I wish we'd follow Europe's lead and ban neonicotinoids entirely. We need our pollinators!
This is the reason I started collecting my own seeds and regenerating my plants. I don't trust any store bought plants anymore.
Delete