Since I’m allergic to many bees and wasps, I fear getting stung. Once, my reaction to a sting was so severe that I went into anaphylactic shock in rural China and was saved by a perilous trip to a hospital nearby. But no matter how negative my body’s response is to bee venom, I want to live in a world with bees. Bees are the insects responsible for the pollination of many foods I love to eat: fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, flowers, seeds, and beans. Roughly one-third of our world’s food supply is dependent on bee pollination. Our lives, in fact, depend on bees.
Recently at Seattle University, Bon Appétit Management Company and
Slow Food Seattle cosponsored a free showing of the new documentary
Vanishing of the Bees, which was directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Heinen and narrated by actress Ellen Page. An astonishing 350 people attended the showing and the panel discussion with local beekeepers that followed.
The film is an eerie and engaging portrayal of the mysterious “vanishing bee syndrome” called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This occurs as the abrupt mass disappearance of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. It is estimated that one-third of honey bee colonies in the United States have vanished without a trace. In some areas, honey bee losses are as high as 75 percent.
Check out the rest of my post
here and see how you can bee the change below:
- Raise awareness and spread the buzz. The first step to activate change is education. A great place to get updated information on bees and CCD is the Vanishing of the Bees Facebook Page.
- Vote with your fork to support sustainable and organic production practices and those that maintain native pollinators. Originally war chemicals were used to kill people and today pesticides are used to kill insects. Chemical sprays remain harmful not only to people but also to beneficial insects. The bees that land on sprayed crops become disordered, confused, and fall off. Scientists believe that the pesticides affect the bees’ nervous systems.
- Support organic honey production, your local beekeepers, and producers of rare honey. Organic beekeeping means that honey bees are raised without sugar syrups, artificial pollen, or miticides. Visit your local farmers market or co-op.
- Use natural cleaners and pest remedies. These are safer, more effective, and less expensive than toxic chemicals, such as insecticides and herbicides.
- Grow your own food and create bee friendly habitats. Maybe you want to plant an organic garden or simply grow flowers on your windowsill. Choose pollen- and nectar-rich plants, such as sunflowers, ferries, gourds, and lavender. Leave a tray of water out for the bees to drink. And for extra fun, float recycled wine corks in the water give the bees a place to land and rest as they drink.
- Join The Great Sunflower Project. Help gather information about our urban, suburban, and rural bee populations. Plant Lemon Queen sunflowers, Bee balm, Cosmos, Rosemary, Tickseed, Goldenrod, and/or Purple coneflowers and track the quality of your yard’s pollinator service. This is a great way to contribute to research as well as learn more about what’s happening in your backyard.
- Raise bees. Michelle Obama put in a bee hives at the White House Garden. This is a great way to help restore the environment and create a more diversified and thus stronger food system. Here are some of the upfront costs to factor in when starting a hive: Complete hive-setup should cost approximately $175-200, or $300 tops, depending on how all-out you go with gear. A beekeepers’ veil will cost approximately $20. Gloves, a smoother, two hive tools, plus bee brush will be approximately $100. Finally, a package of bees (three pounds of bees, including a queen) will cost $75-110, plus additional costs of feed and medication, if needed.
- Get political. Sign Slow Food USA’s petition or write to the Environmental Protection Agency on your own to urge the Office of Pesticide Programs to help safeguard our food system.
