The Bees Knees

I love taking walks. Call me childlike, but every time I see a dying bumblebee stumbling along the sidewalk, I want to save it. If there was an tiny little syringe with a lifesaving agent in it, I would inject the bee. Why? Well, for one thing I have a soft spot for all creatures and have since I was a little girl. But the main reason is that we NEED bees! They are so important to keep our world working and beautiful. Why was this bee dying? Most likely, he was flying along, pollinating, and simply doing what he was created to do. However, day after day, he is losing the fight.

Bees, you see, are declining in number, and have been since the 1950's. There are a combination of factors that have caused this. One is varroa and tracheal mites, parasites that destroy honeybees and wipe out colonies. Another is Colony Collapse Disorder, which kills a bunch of bees quickly and in large number. The cause of this disorder is being narrowed down to mainly pesticides, but also nutritional deficiencies, viruses, weather, and just the simple fact that bees are not as strong as they were 30 years ago.

I think this is really sad and equally troublesome. I mean, those of you that have seen the kids movie Bee Movie can see how important bees are to the world. Even many beekeepers across the U.S. are quitting, saying they just aren't able to make a living anymore.

How you can help honeybees:

-Use pesticides wisely, if you must at all. Choose products that are less likely to harm bees, and follow the directions carefully. Don't apply pesticides to flowers that bees will visit or water they'll drink. Or look up and learn to try natural pesticides, like neem.

-Add pollinator-friendly plants to your yard. Check out the "Pollinator Friendly Planting Guide" for your region at http://www.pollinator.org.

-Don't be afraid to leave part of your yard a bit messy. Honeybees feed on weed flowers like dandelions, too.

-Buy local honey. It helps keep beekeepers in business. If you can't find a source of local honey, this is a great buy: Organic Bee Farms Raw Honey

-Befriend bees. Stay calm when you see them; don't swat them or move around when they are near. For the most part, if you don't bother them, they'll leave you alone.

-Welcome beekeepers to your neighborhood. Bee experts advocate repealing laws that bar beekeepers.