Earth Week! Simple Ways to Save Honeybees (and Humans)
Kenneth-James Tencza
We are passionate about the bees! Did you know that bees pollinate around 80% of plants and about 60% of human food sources?
There is no arguing that the honeybee is threatened in the United States and abroad. The numbers are in from 2015, and on average beekeepers in Colorado lost 1/3 of their hives last year.
Nationally, over the past five years, bee loss has stayed between 30% and 40%.
Why?
The two biggest reasons for these alarming bee losses are pesticides and habitat loss.
We know that the pesticides, neonicotinoid insecticides (also called neonics) are proven bee-killers. European countries have outlawed these insecticides. Unfortunately, the United States is lagging behind. Currently, Maryland is the only state to outlaw neonicotinoids while cities in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Colorado have also banned them.
Habitat loss has occurred due to development, lack of diversity of food sources and the destruction of pollinator corridors.
What are some everyday things you can do to save the honeybee?
1. Buy bee-friendly plants, seeds, mulch, soil and fertilizers. If it isn’t labeled, ask if it has neonicotinoids in it.
2. Grow bee-friendly flowers that bloom from spring to fall to provide food for pollinators
3. Be a guerilla gardener! Actively help plant seeds in abandoned lots, open fields, and by the side of the road. You can do this with seed bombs! Illuman Apiary’s seed bombs have a base of clay and moss. Together, they give the seed bombs weight so that they can be launched a farther distance, protect the seeds until it rains and give them a safe environment to grow. Our bee-friendly seeds are made of a quality, pollinator blend that have an 85% germination rate.
Our seed bombs are loaded with Colorado Native, wildflower, pollinator seeds. We are so excited to offer them to you as a means of spreading beauty and impacting your world.
Food for thought: what if bombs only create life instead of death? What if all bombs made food and flowers?
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