Plight of the honey bee

Bees.

Without them our available food would drastically decrease. Think downward spiral. My dad had many hives when I was young and truthfully they won't bother you unless they are provoked. Even when there were masses of them flying around on a hot summers day when they were busy gathering you could walk right thru the flying frenzy and not get one sting. It's surreal.

Colony Collapse Disorder.

With hive upon hive of bees literally disappearing off the face of the earth many people and organizations have been in a bit of a panic mode. Many Bee Keepers who truck their hives around the U.S. by the tractor trailer full have and still are suffering financially due to loosing masses of hives. Some say it's the chemicals that are being put on the crops that the bees then walk on and carry it back to the hive. There have been accounts of nearby fields being sprayed and within hours hives are almost totally empty. gone.

Do your part.

I do not use any herbicides, pesticides,  etc on my flowers, lawn or garden. I have happy little dandelions in my yard in the spring  and pretty clover showing their little heads in the summer. Planting flowers that bees love is another way to help them. My Father went so far as spreading clover seed all over our back yard and he would purposefully not mow certain patches just for the bees to gather from the clover that we would later benefit from in the form of honey. Think farm stand honey giving off it's golden glow from the warm sun as it sits on the weathered shelf.

Another way you can do good is have a hive in your own back yard. Bee Keepers are a friendly helpful bunch and would be more than happy to be a mentor to someone just getting their 'wings wet'. If you're not sure about taking care of these intriguing little guys, you could get in touch with the Bee Keepers Association or your local group and see if someone is looking for a new location for a hive or two maybe even in exchange for some jars of honey.  That is a pretty good way to learn the ropes of the Bee Keeping world without the upfront investment.

Whatever action you take I'm sure the Bees will Thank you.