Just about every country in the world except for the USA is making positive strides to help the bees survive extinction from farm and lawn chemicals mass marketed by big corporations like Monsanto.
Honey bees are now an endangered species because of human beings, and bees are a critical key to our survival. So, if bees are endangered, WE ARE ENDANGERED.
There is NO TIME to waste debating this – we must take action NOW to stop this mass die-off.
What’s Killing The Bees
The use of a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids is the primary toxin responsible for the rapid die-off of honey bees. The systemic residues of these pesticides not only contaminate pollen, nectar, and the wider bio-system, but they have repeatedly been identified as highly toxic to honey bees in scientific studies.
With merely one out of three bites of pollen, bees and other beneficial species can die. Many people warned that this decline was coming, but NOTHING was done about it. The Monsanto-corps kept selling more GMO seeds and farmers kept spraying more chemicals into the environment. Now, we have “waited and debated” this issue until it’s too late. Mounting scientific evidence, along with unprecedented annual colony losses at 40 to 90 percent this year, demonstrate the impacts that these pesticides are having on these fragile species.
4 Ways We Can Help The Bees*
- Cut Back (or completely eliminate) Lawn Pesticides and Fertilizers – Many common lawn and garden chemicals are lethal to bees, while others may weaken their immune systems, allowing parasites, disease or other stresses to finish them off. Instead, switch to a strategy of integrated pest management or opt for natural, organic fertilizers and biological controls.
- Cultivate Bee-Friendly Plants – Just as many plants need bees for pollination, bees need plants for nectar and pollen. Not anything green will do, however. In fact, bees tend to be attracted to blue, purple and yellow flowers. Consult with your local nursery or non-Monsanto university extension to select appropriate varieties for your area (and view a suggested list here). Research shows gardens with 10 or more bee-friendly plants support the most visitors.
- Let There Be Weeds – Many common weeds, such as dandelions and clover, are popular with bees. Go ahead and let some flower, then to keep things tidy, pull them up after they’ve gone to seed. And avoid too much mulch. Many native bees tunnel and live in the soil, but can be blocked by heavy layers of woodchips or plastic liners. Learn to edge your lawn tastefully without completely shutting out bees.
- Help Your Town Protect Bee Habitat – Some of the biggest threats to bees are urban sprawl and intensive land management. But you can reduce this trend by volunteering to plant wildflowers and other native vegetation along roadways and other common areas, and advocating for smart growth and sensible limits to development where you live.
*From the article by April McCarthy, It’s Time To Protect Our Bees, July 23, 2013. WakingTimes
You never know what else may be nibbling on deadly pesticides …
