Turns out, there is a problem, it's called "Colony Collapse Disorder". Honeybees throughout the world are abandoning their hives and disappearing. There are many ideas as to why this is happening, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest any one theory is correct. Depending on what article you read or whom you talk to, the reason can be anything from pesticide use, to WIFI signals, to genetically modified corn.
So, that being said, there really isn't anyone practice we can eliminate to restore the bees, however, thankfully, there are a few proven ways to help increase the honeybee population.
Make a Bee Buffet
Bees need to have as much time as possible before winter comes to be able store away enough honey to survive. So it's best to give them flowers as early in spring as possible (such as a Crocus) all the way until the end of fall (with perhaps an Aster or a Mum). Plan to have approx. 1 square meter of any one type of bee friendly flower as bees like to hop from flower to flower.
As to the type of flower, almost any flower will be a good flower for bees, but there are definitely some that help more than others. Fragrant flowers with easily accessible pollen is always the best choice. Some other tips about what to choose include:
- Use plants with single blooms and many individual flowers
- Pick plants that bloom heavily
- Select plants with long lasting blooms
- Select a variety of plants that bloom in all seasons
- Don't forget about flowering trees and shrubs, they count too!
Here is a helpful guide for choosing bee friendly plants:
Try limiting the spraying of insecticides, since, obviously, bees are insects. If you are going to spray, try doing it when the bees are not active which would mean spraying only late in the afternoon and not at all when the plants or flowers are actively flowering.
Also, who doesn't like a drink of water while having a meal? Bees enjoy this too! Water features or even a bird bath can help attract bees to your yard.
Something also to think about in helping the bees would be to support our local beekeepers by buying local honey. Yum!
Ohh! That Stings!
There is one other thing I would like to discuss with the bee situation. If your like me, you would like to help out the bee situation - in theory... I have to admit, I am a little afraid of bees. I for one don't relish the idea of having extra bees in my yard to run away from.
However, while doing this research, I did find out some information that might help me (and perhaps you!) with this fear: honeybees in particular are not especially aggressive. Truth be told, they would rather just be left alone. And if you leave them alone, they will return the favor and leave you alone. It's maybe a good idea to also not plant those bee-friendly plants and flowers right by your sitting areas and walkways. I know I won't!