These are the Bees’ Needs…

I suppose most people have heard about the plight of the bees.  How they are suffering from “colony collapse” and have been for several years.  The reasons for this syndrome are not fully understood and may be numerous.  However, one culprit that is being blamed, at least in part, is a type of pesticide in wide use for agriculture, called “neonicotinoid“.  Europe has already instituted a temporary (two year) ban on the use of neonicotinoids because of the unacceptable risk their use poses on the honeybee.  This is welcome news, but unfortunately, North America has not followed suit.  For that reason there is a petition circulating that you can sign here: http://elizabethmaymp.ca/get-involved/ban-neonicotinoids/

Possibly the best defence against the decline of the honeybee is organic gardening/farming. If you can buy organic vegetables and fruits as much as possible, practice organic gardening in your own backyard and/or support organic gardening in your area by buying your vegetables directly from a  CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farmer, you’ll be doing your bit to save the honeybee and thus, your own food supply. Bees are the great pollinators of this world.  It’s hard to imagine a greater threat to agriculture than this alarming decline in the bee population.

My husband, Dave, and I have bought a share of a local farmer’s vegetables for many years now and are very happy to support them. They deliver to a location near us and we enjoy their amazing produce all summer and well into the fall and winter. There are many CSA farmers and I encourage you to find one close to you.  If you’d like to get in touch with our favourite farmers, send me a message at osmviv@me.com.

Hope you enjoy this recording of Nancy Wilson with the Cannonball Adderly band singing, “A Sleepin’ Bee”.

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