close up shot of a honey bee on a purple flower save the bees

Why do honey bees need our help?

In the 18 years we have been making natural beeswax candles at Honey Candles never have honey bees needed help so much as they do now. The news is full of Colony Collapse Disorder and the decline in the bee population. It’s time to share some of the good news. In an effort to head off a disaster the European Parliament (link to an excellent article)has approved compensation or recovery zones across Europe . These areas would hopefully contain protein rich flowers like clover and wild mustard for the honey bees. Monocrops that favor humans are not always nutritionally best for bees. This is especially true for crops used for biofuels. Poor nutrition is one of the suspects in the decline of the honey bee. By creating these zones with the honey bees’ nutritional needs in mind we hope the colonies can become strong again. You can create your own recovery zones. Plant clover in roadside ditches or if you have a space on your property that isn’t used plant it to clover. Create a garden and plant plenty of flowers and a diverse vegetable crop. Don’t use pesticides as they are also suspect in the demise of honey bees.

Here is something I am really excited about. City planners in Guelph, Ontario approved a plan to turn a 200 acre landfill into a pollinator park. A landfill that operated for 42 years has been capped and outfitted with a methane capturing system that converts landfill gas into usable energy. Filled land, which constitutes about half the site, will host some recreational amenities but primarily shrub and meadow plantings that provide habitat for pollinator species such as honey bees, butterflies, bats and birds. I'd like to know how this plan went for the city of Guelph. I certainly hope it was successful. If anyone knows more I'd love to hear your comments. To read more about this link

We need to do what we can. May 29th is the Day of the Honey Bee in Canada. Honey Candles has been making contributions to research focused on solving the blight of honey bees for the last two years. We hope articles and blogs like this are of interest to you.

If you enjoyed this blog be sure to check back next week when I tell you how beeswax is made.

Published By Pat Cattermole

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