Helping The Pollinators One Garden At A Time
Earth Keeper Kids
Free Wildflower Seeds!
NEWS & INFORMATION
Whats Happening to the Bees?
It's been going on now for at least 8 years. An unexplainable and alarming phenomena of bees dying off and disappearing. Since 2006 Beekeepers of managed bee colonies report that on average about 30% of their bees are lost each winter, that is double the acceptable rate of loss of 15% reported by Beekeepers. Those numbers do not take into account the number of wild bee hives that are being affected by this problem also. Sometimes the Beekeepers find the dead bees in and around the hives but often, the bees have just vanished, never returning to their hives. This is called Colony Collapse Disorder. Beekeepers, Scientists and other experts in the field of study and research and even the governments of the world agree that this is a real and worrisome problem.
What's Causing This?
Researchers, Scientists, Entomologists and other highly qualified experts from many Universities, Non-Profit and Private Organizations around the world seem to be in agreement that although they have not found a single cause of the mass die off they believe it is a combination of many factors including monoculture, pesticides, (especially Neonicotinoids), genetically modified seeds, habitat destruction, lack of flower diversity and inability to find pollen and nectar, climate change and stress when being shipped by truck thousands of miles, fungus and parasites, all are contributing and mixed together make a toxic cocktail affecting the nervous system of the bees and causing them be unable to forage for pollen and also become disorientated, weak and die.
Why Should We Care?
It's estimated that 15% or every third bite of the food we eat relies on Honeybees to pollinate the crops that produce the fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
It may be true that if Bees become extinct we can eat meat and grains, but think of what it would be like to never eat berries, nuts, tomatoes, herbs, peaches, apples, oranges, and many other fruits and veggies,not mention delicious and medicinal Honey! Or be able to watch the colors explode along the countryside, roadways, or in your garden as the seasons turn from winter to spring while flowers bloom.
What Can We Do?
1. Plant more seeds. Find what flowers are native to your area. They will be the best plants for the Bees in your area. But really, any wildflowers will do. Plant non-GMO seeds only.
2. Stop using harmful pesticides and weed killers. Use alternatives to controlling pests and weeds. Soap spray, vinegar, beneficial insects and a diverse garden can help cut down the number of pests and keep your garden in balance.
3. Tell your Members of Congress- To support H.R. 2692, the Saving Americas Pollinator Act. A bill that was introduced in Congress calling for the EPA to suspend registration of certain pesticides derived from Neonicitinoids until it is determined that they do not have adverse effects on the Pollinators. These same pesticides have already been banned in the 28 Countries of the European Union including, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy.
4. Be A Beekeeper, or start a Co-Op of like-minded people to take care of some bee hives.
5. Learn & Share. Teach others the significance of the dwindling bee populations and help out by getting others to plant seeds of hope for the future. Share our cause with everyone you know.
Honey Bee Colony Loss For The Past 10 Years
Courtesy of www.beeinformed.org
The Perils of Systemic Pesticides
by Vanessa Petersen
Have you ever wondered if the chemical pesticides used to protect garden plants or crops are safe for you and the environment?
Most chemically-made systemic insecticides, which are said to protect plants from pests like sap-feeding scales and larvae are also hazardous to other beneficial insects, which are necessary for further plant production. Bees, ladybugs, beetles, flies, earthworms, and butterflies, are all beneficial insects, which are both necessary and sufficient for any garden or farm. They help to balance the eco-system by naturally pollinating flowers and controlling pests. Read More...
Learn more by clicking on any of the interesting resource links below:
NAPPC - North American Pollinator Protection Campaign
Pollinator.org - Useful garden planting guides for pollinator friendly plants specific to your area.
Pollinator.org - A free Pollinator Friendly Garden app for Androids and IPhones, gives you plants that are native to your area and other useful information.
BeeInformed.org - a nonprofit organization that is tracking, researching and gathering data about colony collapse disorder.
CenterForFoodSafety.org - Important information and news about the vanishing of the pollinators and what consequences it is going to have on our world's food supply. Also updates on laws and regulations that are being considered and passed globally to ban the use of pesticides.
BeyondPesticides.org - Information on pesticides and the alternatives to their use.
Qz.com - An article from Quartz: "Bee Apocalypse- Scientists discover whats killing the bees, and it's worse than you thought".
MeerkatMedia.org - "Every Third Bite", an interesting short 9 minute documentary about the vanishing of the bees and what Urban Beekeepers in New York and Chicago are doing about it.
Wired.com - How your Bee Friendly Garden may actually be killing bees.
The Latest News About Bees
Check Out The Bee Friend Blog!
What do I do if I have a bee infestation?
The best way to remove bees without harming them is to contact a live bee remover. Most bee-friendly live removals will do so without the use of chemicals and without harming the bees. Look up a live bee removal service within your area to find a service that can help you.
For bee hive removal in East County San Diego, go to www.honeybeerescue.com