Bees are dying at an alarming rate! Saving the bees means saving our food supply and we must act now before it’s too late!

Bees have been buzzing for millions of years. They are responsible for pollinating over a third of our food supply, but in the last decade we have seen their population, especially honeybees decline.

If honeybees continue to disappear and die in rapid numbers our food supply will decrease in supply and some crops will cease to exist.

Here are some of the crops that will be affected if we don’t start to save honeybees from extinction:

• Alfalfa
• Almonds
• Apples
• Avocados
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Cherries
• Citrus fruits
• Cotton
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Pumpkins
• Strawberries
• Sunflowers
• Watermelons

How can you help to save the honeybees?

1. Plant flowers that bloom in all seasons that will help the bees
2. Provide a water source- a slopping bird bath or shallow dish with marbles in it filled with water
3. Don’t use pesticides in your garden or on your grass as many are toxic to bees and have widespread effects which are detrimental to plants, insects and other pollinators
4. Appreciate the weeds- dandelions, clovers, milkweed and goldenrod are important food sources for bees
5. Buy a bee house
6. Include a variety of plants in your garden to support year round bloom season
7.  Spring flowers- crocus, hyacinth, calendula, wild lilac, poppies
8. Summer flowers- bee balm, echinacea, snapdragons, foxglove, roses, mint, sage, lavender and hosta
9. Fall flowers- zinnia, sedum, asters and sunflowers

I recently added a bee house to my garden to help the mason bees. I received this bee house from a company called UncommonGoods who in turn is working to change the way business is done by making sustainability a part of every decision they make. They believe that sustainability means more than just being “green”. It means providing a supportive and respective place to work, along with fair wages and health insurance.

They’re committed to offering creative handmade, recycled and organic products and are steadily working to make their products more environmentally friendly. They also offer The Better Give Program which allows the purchaser to select a non-profit organization at checkout that will receive a $1 donation from them. So far UncommonGoods has donated over $1,000,000 since 2001.

Be sure to check out their amazing products, especially for your garden at the link below- this is where you will find the bee house that I have in my garden as well as hummingbird feeders and this beautiful recycled ostrich planter

https://www.uncommongoods.com/home-garden/garden

Since graduations are abundant in the month of June, be sure to check out the great gift ideas for graduation.

https://www.uncommongoods.com/gifts/graduation/graduation-gifts

And for upcoming weddings or those hard to buy for people check out this link for some great gift ideas. I love this personalized cutting board, such a fun gift.

https://www.uncommongoods.com/gifts/personalized/personalized-gifts