Honeybees have been getting a lot of press in the past 15-20 years. And they should. If it weren't for our little friends, we wouldn't have fresh fruit, vegetables, beautiful flowers, trees, honey, and a lot more. Hives have been deteriorating worldwide and dying off for unexplained reasons for about 20 years. I think it has to do with farming practices that use blanket pesticides and herbicides that are indiscriminate. There is also a lot of monoculture farming, where instead of the old-fashioned beautiful patchwork quilt of fields on a large parcel, it is nothing but a sea of sameness.
Humans also want pretty, perfect green lawns without weeds. The weeds are what attract the pollinators. The next time you see a dandelion and want to pull it up, please think twice. There are some bees who not only like it, but are biologically programmed to need it. When you go to spray for bugs, consider that bees are bugs, too. We noticed that bees were falling from the sky in our backyard about five years ago. Know what? We discontinued our pest service. We keep spider webs down with a "Webster" on a regular basis, and if we see an unwanted bug (think black widows!) we take care of them on a case-by-case basis. Bees are now buzzing around our plants and flowers, and it is beautiful.
For some fun bee facts, please check out our YouTube video, "Magnificent Bees"! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH2mym0v7oo
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