While every day is Honeybee Day at Little Bee Project, today, August 15th, 2020, is National Honeybee Day in the United States.
National Honeybee Day is a day to recognize the important role bees play in the wellbeing of humanity and our planet. Bees are responsible for the pollination of the vast majority of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that round out our diets.
Approximately 1 in 3 bites of food we enjoy is made possible by bees.
Without bees, there’d be no oranges, peaches, blueberries, cherries or watermelons! We’d also miss out on almonds and avocados! All of that pollination also yields delicious honey, but those bees work hard for it. To produce a pound of honey, a honeybee flies the equivalent of circumnavigating the Earth twice!
It’s important to get your honey from responsible beekeepers who know how to harvest honey while leaving enough for the hive to remain healthy.
There are many factors at play resulting in the decline of bees: parasites, fragmentation of habitats, increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides, and climate change to name just a few.
What can we do to help the bees?
Plant nectar and pollen producing flowers in your garden such as sunflowers, asters, lavender, sage, poppies, and other wildflowers.
Take up bee keeping as a hobby.
Join and support your local bee keeping clubs such as the Georgia Beekeepers Association or Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association.
Bring awareness to the negative impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides.
Support local beekeepers. Give the gift of local honey to help spread the word to family, friends, and neighbors.
