A few years ago, the bee population began to die out in a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder. It is estimated that some areas have lost as much as 60% of their bee population! Experts point the finger at commonly used pesticides called neonicotinoids are likely the cause.
Unfortunately, we compound the problem when we use any pesticide without carefully reading the label directions. Just a few years ago a beekeeper in Elmwood Ontario lost the bees in 600 hives—that is 37 MILLION bees! Experts point the finger at pesticides used in nearby corn fields.
Why We Need Bees
Most of my favorite fruits and vegetables rely on bees to pollinate them—almonds, peaches, walnuts, grapes, apples, strawberries, cucumbers. squash, melons, berries, just to name a few. As a matter of fact, one-third of our food supply comes from plants that need to be pollinated in order to set fruit. And this is just what WE eat. It gets even scarier when we add food that wildlife eats or even the flowers we enjoy into the mix.
How Can We Help?
The single most important thing of all we can do is read the label directions on every garden product and NEVER do more than they suggest.
Remember that even organic products can kill pollinators if used improperly or at the wrong time! Spray late in the day (just before sundown) to give bees and butterflies a change to go home first.
Re-think systemic pesticides—they are absorbed into the plant and can make it into the pollen. From there a bee can take the contaminated pollen back to the hive, where it is fed to just-hatching bees.
And we can plant pollinator favorites—like beebalm, asters, sunflowers, milkweed, salvias, even veggies like cucumbers, squash, melons (bonus—more for you!). This is a very small list. There are LOTS of pollinator favorites.
Let’s Celebrate Pollinators and Keep Them Safe!
Enjoy your bees and butterflies. They’re doing a VERY important job.