Happy World Bee Day! The United Nations declared that May 20th be the annual celebration of bees, with an aim to resolve the global pollinator crisis. It is a day to recognize all that bees do, by increasing agricultural growth and influencing diversity on both our environment and our plates.
Why we BEE-love the bees!
Bees are extremely important to our health, as well as the health of our planet. They help ensure food security, sustainable agriculture, and strong biodiversity. Pollination helps support forest regeneration and promotes sustainability and adaptation to climate change. The world’s population is constantly growing, meaning we must cherish our agriculture growth and biodiversity. Bees help our environment thrive, therefore we need to make sure that they are able to thrive as a species.
The Pollinator Crisis
Unfortunately, bees have started going extinct in our ecosystem, primarily due to the climate crisis. The fluctuation in the earth’s temperature is harming bee habitats around the world. Their fuzzy exterior allows them to maintain a warm body temperature, and when they fly, the movement of their wings generates additional heat. The continual increase in maximum temperatures on earth can cause bees to overheat, causing extinction. The overbearing heat can also affect the health of certain plants, which leaves bees with a lack of pollen collecting opportunities.
While this is a huge issue, there are also some smaller, but still impactful issues that hurt the livelihood of bees, including harmful pesticides used in farming and gardening and the destruction of habitat in the creation of new infrastructure. While we must work together to prevent the climate crisis, we must also each do our part in avoiding products and construction that harm natural ecosystems.
Let’s BEE-friend the bees!
Here are some ways that you can help provide a safe environment in which bees can thrive:
- Choose native plants that will attract your native bees!
- Keep things blooming during every viable season. Here in Nova Scotia, try to have plants blooming in Fall, Spring & Summer!
- Invest in a bee hotel! Make one yourself or buy one at a store. They’re typically small structures made out of wood that provide a safe place for solitary bees to make their nests.
- Go easy on the chemicals! Keep your garden o’natural to help your plants and the bees stay healthy.
- Leave some bare ground for bumblebee hibernation and nesting. In the winter, queen bumblebees hibernate in the ground before resurfacing in the spring to create their nest. We all love the look of fresh mulch, but make sure to leave some bare ground for own queen bees!
- Support local bee farms and businesses that work responsibly with bees!
Mountain Meadworks – a local bee buzz-ness partner!
We are super excited to introduce Mountain Meadworks – a local meadmaking company that dwells within the breathtaking mountainscapes of Northern Nova Scotia. Each batch of sparkling mead is crafted with care and intention using raw honey and other natural ingredients that have been sourced locally. Take a look at what the owner has to say:
My name is Shannon and I make mead – the world’s oldest alcohol – using local honey and ingredients sourced or foraged from close to my home in Northern Nova Scotia. All of my meads are sparkly, fermented dry and handcrafted with care. All of my meads are made in small batches and the available flavours vary based upon season and experimentation! My meads are available weekly at the Truro Farmers’ Market as well as at other special events and markets around the province.
– Shannon Dalberg
Check out some of her stuff!
Check out her Facebook here!
Thank you bees!
Just look at all the things bees provide for us – not only do they pollinate our plants and help our environment thrive, but they also allow us to cultivate so many delicious foods, drinks and products. They offer us so much – we should be offering them a safe environment to live in.