Spring is here! Oh, the birds. And the bees.

Wait. That might not making everyone as happy as it makes me.

A couple years ago I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across a post:

Basically, a hive had been created overnight just outside his bedroom window. 

My heart actually broke a little.

I get it. They’re bees. They can sting and they’re buzzy.

But they’re also incredibly vital to our eco-system.

Without bees, we wouldn’t have so many yummy fruits and vegetables and valuable plants including tangerines, oranges, watermelon, coffee, avocados and cotton. Yes. Coffee. And cotton.

These are just a few crops that rely exclusively on bees for pollination. And the bees are in enough trouble already without people exterminating entire colonies because they feel encroached upon.

The guy who posted that above is actually a friend, and he’s not a bad guy. He just didn’t know that there was an alternative to the way he handled it. He did give me permission to share these pictures for this post though.

Since the spring is a time for gardening, lawn maintenance and, well, even bee swarming, here’s what you can do to help these little guys out.

7 Things You Can Do to Help Save the Bees

1. Don’t use toxic pesticides or herbicides in your garden or home.
   This is the big one. Round Up is the WORST culprit.

   When we bought our home, the previous owners had a perfect green lawn and no weeds. Eight years later, and I still find clusters of dead bees on my property.

   It’s not worth it and there are organic options that work.

2. Plant organic Bee-friendly flowers in your garden.
   There are some beautiful flowers and plants that actually attract bees. Not in a way that should make them overwhelming, more in a way that invites them to stop by and get their pollination awesome on.

   If you’re allergic to bees, maybe not do this one personally.

3. Buy local honey from local bee keepers.
   It’s actually better for your immune system to buy honey that’s local.

   It can even help reduce pollen allergies. Really really.

   But it has to be local honey to be effective. You can usually find it at local farmer’s markets, health food stores or even just Googling “bee keepers + your area”.

4. Keep your own hive.
   I know. Crazy right?

   Actually, it’s gaining popularity and isn’t as scary as it might sound.

   I was at an office building, when I spied these guys on the roof across the way:

   
   I was speechless and thrilled all at the same time.

   How awesome is that? 

5. Support organic farming practices.
   When you buy organic food, and meats that were fed from organic feed, and plants and flowers that are raised organically, all of this helps to create an eco-friendly environment for our lovely pollinators.
6. If you get a swarm of bees on your property, call a LIVE BEE Removal Specialist.
   This is what they do in other parts of the world where there is a greater awareness of the consequences of our environmental impact as humans.

   Unfortunately, it’s not as known about here in the US, but there are specialists in most every state who will relocate a hive safely. Just Google: “Live bee removal” or “Live bee relocation + your city” or area. The rates should be similar to the rates of exterminating them, so why not take that extra step.

7. Let others know.
   In the end, raising personal awareness on a broadening scale is our best option. People armed with knowledge are a beautiful thing to behold.

   Tell your local hardware store to stop carrying products that are killing the bees. Tell your lawn guy to switch to something environmentally friendly and stop using Round Up. Share this with your family and friends. If you have kids, teach them about the importance of bees, too.

   We can save the bees.

   Each and every one of us matter on this issue, and collectively, we are an awesome force for good.

Resources and Information on How to Save the Bees

Here are some additional resources that you can check out to learn more about what’s happening with the bees globally, and what’s being done to address it.

It doesn’t have to be a frightening doomsday subject.

There are a few worthwhile documentaries (each are available at Amazon as well):

• Vanishing of the Bees https://www.vanishingbees.com/
• Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling us? https://www.queenofthesun.com/
• More Than Honey https://buy.morethanhoneyfilm.com/

Ignorance of the issue is really the biggest problem, but that’s changing.

There’s so much good that’s being done to save the bees now. But it’s something we all have a role to play in.

Just as an example of the changing tide, this company, Flow Hive, did a campaign on indiegogo to fund a home bee keeping kit with a new design that makes it easy for anyone to keep bees. They surpassed their quota by more than 17,000% raising over $12M. The original goal was to raise $70,000.

How awesome is that??

Even Lowe’s Hardware is stepping up to the plate: https://ecowatch.com/2015/04/10/lowes-neonicotinoid-pesticides/

There is a growing number of good news on this issue, but it’s still an issue.

Our awareness and diligence can change that though.

Together we can save the bees!  😀

Here’s a lovely print you can get on Etsy that illustrates bee-friendly plants wonderfully. https://www.etsy.com/listing/170552037/8×10-plant-these-to-help-save-bees-print

Here’s a company that has an amazing system that anyone can use to keep bees: Honey Flow I’ll keep adding to this section as I discover more.

Do you have any awesome tips that I might have missed to help save the bees? Share in the comments below.

Don’t miss a single post!

Subscribe to the 365 Days of Awesome Blog and get notified when there’s a new bit of awesome added. —-> Look for the subscribe form on the right. It’s as easy as that!