10 Ways To Help Your Local Bee Populations
It’s no secret that the bees are having a tough time surviving as of late. Since WWII, bee populations have been in decline. There are probably a number of contributors to the decline, such as certain pesticides and a lack of variety in flowers. But here are 10 things you can do to turn the tide and help make bee populations in your region stronger.
1. Plant a wide variety of flowers that bees use for pollen.
It’s believed that one of the reasons bee populations have been in decline is because of a lack of availability of a wide variety of flowers. It makes a lot of sense when you consider how much land is now farmland that grows just one type of plant. Don’t simply plant flowers in your yard, but plant flowers that bees in your area will love. Feel free to check out our list of 64 flowers that bees love.
2. Buy organic food from local farmers.
This one is much much easier in the summer of course, unless you have a mild climate year round. Buying from local farmers encourages more local farmers to grow more local foods. Having this increase in farming and the variety of crops grown will help bee populations recover and thrive.
3. Hey, gardener, leave those weeds alone.
Or at least some of them. Many weeds that plague our yards are actually native flora that bees have harvested from for thousands, if not millions of years. In my yard, I make it a point to keep a patch of wild growing flowers to feed the bees.
4. Become a bee keeper!
A great way to improve local bee populations is to keep bees yourself. You don’t necessarily have to keep them for the honey if you don’t want. Just caring for a couple hives will do much to improve the strength of your local bee community.
5. Stop using pesticides!!!!
This one goes without saying. Pesticides aren’t always specifically targeted to certain pests that bother your garden and yard, and in many cases the bees will suffer. Consider alternative ways to handling your pest problems, like buying ladybugs to handle your aphids or a few pods of praying mantises to handle some of your other insect pests.
6. Remember: bees aren’t out to get you. Just your flowers.
Most of all, it’s important to leave them be. If you have a hive in an undesirable place, find someone who can handle beehive removal. They can be safely relocated.
7. Buy local, raw honey.
When you buy raw, unfiltered honey from a local source, you’re telling them and others, “Hey, there’s a demand for your honey!” Honey from the grocery store is likely important from China unless marked otherwise. Honey is easy to find at local farmers markets usually.
8. Leave a small basin of water out for bees.
Bees get thirsty working outside in the hot sun all day. Leaving water out for them can really help them out. But remember not to just put out a bowl! Bees can slip into a bowl and drown. I usually fill a dish with stones and then add water so the bees have somewhere safe to land.
9. Give Congress an earful.
What would a solution-oriented listicle be without at least a little bit of complaining? Get in touch with your local representative and ask them to push for a ban on chemicals that harm bee populations.
10. Get in touch with people in your community.
Taking the steps to take care of our bee friends in your own yard is an excellent thing to do! But unless the whole world steps up too, there might not be hope. Before you try to convince the entire world, start with your neighborhood. Talk to your neighbors about the importance of helping the bees, and maybe plant a few extra flowers to give away to your neighbors.
