Happy National Pollinators Week! I wish I would have known this before today because I would have done multiple posts! I will have to do a follow up post another week. 🙂 I am a huge lover of bees, from far away. I physically get tense every time I hear a bee and if it’s close it’s way worse. I got stung multiple times in my sleep by a hornet and ever since have been quite afraid of anything that stings. I’m slowly getting over my fear of hating all insects with stingers because I’ve learned how important bees are to our existence.
My interest in learning more about something I fear came from my Dad’s interest in beekeeping as a hobby. I am thankful he wanted to learn more because knowledge is power and we NEED to keep the bees alive with less chemicals and better habitats. I asked my Dad why he started beekeeping and why bees are so important.Here’s what he said:
‘I got started in bee keeping after I was encouraged to get a hobby by my daughter. I read that 25% of the world’s honey bees have died off since 1999. . So after studying about them on the internet and a couple books later I decided to build a Top Bar Bee Hive. Bees are extremely important to our food supply, they make and incredibly delicious product and they are fun to watch.
One third of the world’s crop depend on pollinators. Pollinators include bees of all sorts, birds and bats. According to the American Beekeeping Federation, some crops such as blueberries, and cherries are 90 percent dependent on honey bee pollination. Believe it or not they are pretty docile. Their main goal in life is to tend to their queen and they will always leave you alone as long as you leave them alone. I handle my bees in shorts and t-shirt. My 4 year old granddaughter is fascinated by them. She loves to go down to the hive with me and watch them. Even at her age she has plenty of questions about them.’
There are several ways you can help save the bees! Planting bee friendly plants in your yard is one of the biggest things you can do to help. You can also be sure to not use harsh chemicals on your plants and if you know any farmers, encourage them to do the same. There are TONS of cute bee inspired art, jewelry, clothes and decor that you can use to help spread the word too!
- This Save the Bees print is super cute and a helpful reminder!
- I’m in love with this honeycomb ring! I love the geometric design as well as the different metals to choose from.
- This bee house would be very helpful to hang on a tree in a yard full of pollinator friendly flowers!
- You could use this print as art and to help you decide what plants will work best in your zone!
The New York Times has continuous articles being updated on saving the bees and there are TONS of other resources on why bees are so important and how to do your part. Start simple and understand more about bees! What are you going to do to help save the bees? Maybe get a few books from the library and have your kids get involved too! I have lots of bee related decor now, but I’m really loving the Plant These to Help Save Bees print!
