Practical Things You Can Do To Help Bees Survive
For years we have read and heard about how important bees are to the environment. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), bees of all kinds pollinate approximately 75 percent of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States. They go on to say that one out of every four bites of food people eat is courtesy of bees. In sum, bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year.
We thought we would share with you some easy things you can do to help bees:
Plant Native Flowers In Your Garden
Native plants are easier to grow because they are used to the climate and conditions of their natural setting. Bees that are native to geography are used to pollinating these particular flowers. Bees need good nutrition to thrive, and providing them with native plants will get them the food they need on an ongoing basis.
Leave Water Out For Bees To Drink
It is true bees need water, so place a bowl of water out for them. Make sure you have twigs, rocks, or moss in the water so they have something to land on. We don’t want them to fall in the water and drown. Change out the water on a weekly basis to prevent attracting mosquitos. Make sure the water is fresh, do not put anything in it like sugar as bees prefer natural nectar sources.
Don’t Use Pesticides In Your Own Garden
It goes without saying if you want to help bees out make sure you do not use harmful pesticides in your garden. Using pesticides taints the food source and it can also build up in the bees over time causing neurological problems. If everyone in your local area used pesticides, it would harm the bees and could even make the entire colony collapse. See our article on Old Fashioned Pest Control.
Consider Adding A Bee House To Your Garden
Bees have lost their natural habitat, so anything we can do to help them can bring them back. There are bee houses and bee blocks you can put in your garden that will help the bees out.
Buy Locally Grown Organic Produce
Pesticides use can harm bees and even kill the queen bee. Supporting local organic farmers helps keep pesticide usage out of the local area and then there is less harm to the bees in your area.
Let us know if you do anything special to help bees out!
