Lately it seems the news media is all abuzz with the plight of the bees. Yet the news still reaches far too few people as bee colonies continue to succumb to human-made perils at an alarming rate.In this post, learn about 11 urgent reasons why you need to lend your hand to help save the bees!
Reason 1: You love fresh fruit.
Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries....can you imagine a world without apple pie a la mode? Would you want to?According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), bees are responsible for pollinating the fresh produce we love to eat. If bees disappear, more than 30 percent of our current crop yield may die with them.
Reason 2: Honey is one of the world's best natural healers.
Bees don't charge people for their honey (even if people may charge other people for the same). Honey, one of the world's best natural healers, is a free gift from the bees to us.In 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged honey's healing powers when it approved the first medical honey bandaid. Clearly, these little flying healers need to continue to be a part of our world!
Reason 3: Pesticides are bad anyway.
There is a reason everyone is talking about organic-this and root-to-shoot that. The current international movement back to natural, organic, whole-food eating is also about human health and avoiding the poisons that are known to cause cancer and other deadly diseases.Bees fare just as poorly as humans do when they ingest pesticides. By saving the bees, you help reduce the use of these toxins that harm us all.
Reason 4: Beekeeping is a great family hobby.
Did you know that you and your family can learn how to keep bees yourself? More individuals and families are learning beekeeping, both to save the bees and to enjoy local honey, with its allergy-fighting properties.The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) hosts an annual conference to teach beekeeping, but you don't have to attend a conference to learn. If you can master the basics, the bees will do the rest.
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Reason 5: You can also adopt a hive and get free honey for your support.
If you don't have time to learn beekeeping, you can still support the bees by contacting your local beekeeping association to adopt a hive. National Public Radio (NPR) ran a segment on how to adopt a hive that has led to many new adoptions.Your reward will not only be healthy, happy bees that can keep pollinating tasty produce and producing medicinal local honey, but you will be able to share in the bounty in return for your support.
Reason 6: If humans were dying out, we'd want our fellow creatures to pitch in to save us!
"Good karma" may not be the strongest argument to save the bees, but it certainly can't hurt, and the statistics surely don't lie. According to the Bee Informed Partnership, a national nonprofit consortium, each year an estimated 30 percent of bee colonies simply die out.This ongoing decline has been dubbed "colony collapse disorder," and each time a colony collapses another beekeeper ponders going out of business. Beekeeping isn't cheap when losses are so high, which means we all need to pitch in to keep our hard-working beekeepers in business!
Reason 7: Bees have been named one of "Earth's most invaluable species."
The truth is, there is simply no good reason to let such a valuable species simply die out when we could do something to prevent it.Someday, your child or partner or parent may need the lifesaving honey only bees can provide. Helping to save the bees ensures it will always be there if you need it.
Reason 8: You can't watch "Queen of the Sun" and not want to help the bees.
"Queen of the Sun" is a riveting documentary that was released in 2011.Once you see it, you won't be able to forget just how essential bees are to everything good that this planet has to offer.
Reason 9: Your garden loves bees.
If you love gardening, you want to have bees around. Not only do bees make your work as a gardener easier by pollinating and cross-pollinating and keeping your plants and bushes and trees flowering and fruiting year after year, but they help all the gardens on your block and in your community put their best blooms forward for everyone to enjoy.
Reason 10: Climate change is something even powerful bees cannot control.
Climate change affects all of us, and according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), bees are no exception.But unlike us, bees can't just pull up the latest scientific journal to understand what is happening to their colonies and why and find the best spot to relocate. It is up to us to help them do that.
Reason 11: That sweet buzzing sound is like hearing somebody say, "All is well with the world."
Hearing bees buzzing is part of the fabric of being alive. That sound marks the start of spring and the continuation of summer and lets us know that all is going as it should.Yes, the plight of the bees is truly overwhelming. But it is also true that no one of us is fighting all alone to save the bees. Together, miracles can be accomplished - even on a planet-wide level. One small action on your part can start a ripple effect to save bees around the world.
What will you do to help save the bees?
Just pick one bee-saving tip from this list and try it out. Then tell a friend. Then watch what happens next.Before you know it, there will be a whole colony of humans supporting the colonies of bees this planet so desperately needs - and that will feel just great!
