Where Have all the Honeybees Gone?
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
One of the most familiar insects in the world is the Honeybee (Apis mellifera). This member of the insect order Hymenoptera plays a key role in the human and natural world. More has been written about honeybees than any other species of insect. The human fascination with this insect began thousands of years ago when people discovered how good honey is.
But, with everything taking place day to day, we send out young men and women to the Middle East to fight terrorism, then we hop into our SUVs and buy the fuel that supports this violence. We are working all day everyday, all to pay our monthly brain-killing cell phones, our cable TV, our iPods, our $200 jeans, but during all of this busy work and non-thinking tasks does it occur to anyone that insects are all around us, suffering while we lay in luxury? More and more people are getting involved in saving one of the most important insects on the earth, the honey bee. Most pollinators are becoming scarce. Be it global warming, infestation be it diseasebe it anything, the fact it they are disappearing. The honeybee disappearance is called Colony Collapse Disorder, and as best as anyone can tell, it began last winter.
Beekeepers everywhere are seeing the change. They go to open their hive and see less than half of their previous years colony. Bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable, as well as apples, nuts, avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers. And lots of the really sweet and tart stuff, too, including citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and other melons. Honeybees don’t just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 of the tastiest flowering crops we have.
What can be done?
• Sign a petition to “Save the Honeybee Now”.
• Plant Bee-friendly seeds for bee supporting plantings
including but not limited to Beebalm/Buckwheat and
Clovers.
• Never spray insect repellent on your flowers or flowering plants. For one it is bad for your to consume those chemicals and for two, it kills off the pollinators that your plant needs.
• Elevate public awareness of the catastrophic
decline of the world wide bee populations of most if
not all species.
• Go as far as setting up “hive-housing” in your own yard.
• Encourage bees to stay within your yard and garden buy having flowering plants blooming.
• Never kill a honeybee, their life is short enough as it is. Unless your life is threatened, never kill a honeybee that is on a flowering plant or flying nearby.
• Visit the “Save The Honeybee” website and educate yourself more on the honeybee.
• Join the Natural and Sustainable “Ride for the honeybee tour” July 19th & 20th in Oregon.
Here’s some ways to get started now.
• Try free video clip sharing with Smilebox. Amazing slideshows hold your photos, videos, plus your own music.
• Create a free Smilebox scrapbook in 5 minutes. Just drag photos into amazing e-designs. Email them free.
• Create amazing slideshows with your photos & video–free!
• Free ecards include your photos and videos, plus your own music.
• Blog your photos & videos using Smilebox
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Volunteer your time at local conservation agencies. Start with Volunteer Match to get started.
