Help the Honeybees!

Over 100 crops are pollinated by honeybees!

Honeybees are helpful insects. Sure, they make yummy honey for us to enjoy, but they also help to pollinate nearly 1/3 of the foods that we eat every single day. It is our job to make sure that honeybees are healthy so they can continue pollinating in the future. Every person has the power to protect the honeybee! Here are some ways that you can help!

Just like you need to eat a variety of foods to stay healthy and strong, honeybees need to gather nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers to maintain their healthy as well! You can help the honeybees by planting more flowers, especially pollinator-friendly kinds. Pollinator-friendly plants contain lots of pollen and nectar for all pollinators, not just honeybees. Once they bloom, you’ll see more honeybees, hummingbirds, and butterflies in your yard, too! Visit www.pollinator.org for a list of plants that can grow in your area. Here is a video showing how to plant a pollinator garden: 

 

Pledge to protect honeybees by joining the “Bee Buddies”. This online club is dedicated to teaching kids more about honeybees. By joining, you are promising to protect honeybees in your area. Learn important facts about honeybees and teach your family and friends why it honeybees needs to be helped.

You and your parents can buy local honey at a farmer's market!

The next time you visit your local farmer’s market, pick up a jar of local honey. Not only will you get a taste of all the floral sources in your area, but you’ll also be supporting a beekeeper in your area. You can also consider keeping honeybees yourself; talk to your parents about becoming beekeepers! Having honeybees is an exciting hobby that you will enjoy while knowing that you’re doing your part to help the honeybees in your area.

If this seems like too much work, there is one last thing that you can do. The next time you go to the store to buy ice cream, check out a brand called Häagen-Dazs. A lot of the ingredients in Häagen-Dazs ice cream are pollinated by honeybees. Each year, Häagen-Dazshas pledged to donate money to honeybee research programs to try to find a cure for the mysterious honeybee losses.

So what are you waiting for? Start helping the honeybees today!