Whole Foods Market has launched a campaign to celebrate bees amid reports of dwindling bee populations in the United States.
The loss of bees can have implications on agriculture and biodiversity, given that bees are responsible for the pollination of many fruit and vegetable crops globally.
Whole Foods Market in Thousand Oaks has held events for children and adopted a hive to raise awareness about the problem, according to marketing assistant Kimberly Patton.
In addition, Whole Foods invited honey producer and packer Bennett's Honey Farm of Fillmore to educate consumers about bees.
Susie Alvary, manager of Bennett's Honey Farm, said she's happy to see a local grocer connecting consumers with farmers and artisans. She hopes the interaction will help people realize that they can help retain bee populations. The solution? Setting up hives in their own communities and even in their own backyards, she said.
The decline of the bee population can be attributed to several factors.
Alvary links colony decline to a modern life that is high on chemicals, be it through soil that has pesticides or air that's been infected by pollutants.
"Everything has so many chemicals these days. We should use more natural resources. Not only is it attacking the bee, but it's also not good for us," she said.
The decline in the bee population has come about as demand for honey has increased. Its health benefits and antibacterial properties have made it a popular alternative to processed sugars, Alvary said.
Alvary said that in the past year, the farm sold nearly 1.5 million pounds of its table-grade Topanga Quality honey across the country. According to its own survey, the company has seen a 62 percent increase in sales.
"More and more people want food that is not genetically modified and completely natural. That's becoming quite obvious now. And honey is one of those products," Alvary said.
Honey Bennett Farm has adopted an eco-friendly and all-natural attitude for its own operations. The facility is completely solar-powered.
While that's a recent development, the farm dates back to 1978 when the Bennetts wanted to forgo the hectic city life of Los Angeles for something quieter. They stumbled across a plot of land in the Fillmore-Piru area and a swarm of bees landed on their property.
They decided to keep the bees and set up a hive. It worked on the honor system: Passers-by were allowed to take honey from the hive and leave whatever amount they felt was appropriate.
In 2000, a fire forced the Bennetts to rebuild and redesign the honey venture. That's when they developed the modern look of Bennett's Honey Farm, which has a tasting and educational room for visitors to get a sense of the honey-making process. Last year, the Bennetts sold the farm to one of their beekeepers, Chip Vannoy.
Vannoy is currently in North Dakota with the colony. During the dry summer months, when there's little for the bees to feast on in Ventura County, they're moved to the Midwest. Otherwise, the colonies are taken to fields in Simi Valley, Moorpark, Ventura and Kern County to get a host of flavors for the honey.
The avocado flavor, a milder, less sweet honey, for instance, comes from bees pollinating fields in Moorpark. Other flavors include sage, eucalyptus, clover, buckwheat, and orange blossom.