Gardens need bees and bees love flowers. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? In the past, this may have been true, but for the past ten years, bee populations in the United States and Europe have declined by roughly 30%. Although not everyone agrees on the reason this is happening, everyone does agree that this is very alarming and could lead to big trouble for farmers who depend on these small insects to pollinate their crops.
Some people believe pesticides are the problem and some countries are placing bans on the most likely culprits. Neonicitinoids are one of the main classes of pesticide believed to be negatively affecting bee populations and these are, unfortunately, one of the most widely used.
This is just one more reason to consider organic gardening. Without our bee friends, we're going to be in trouble! What else can we do to encourage healthy bee colonies? Plant flowers that bees love! Here is a link to some of their favorites:
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/garden-bugs/top-10-flowers-that-attract-bees/
Beside filling your yard and garden with beautiful, fragrant, bee attracting flowers, also be aware of the type of habitats that they look for. If you have something like this on your property, consider leaving it there. If you notice that a colony of bees has taken up residence on your property and you don't want it there, instead of killing it off, call a local beekeeper to see if they will move it for you. Here is some information on habitats and nests:
http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about-bees/habitats/bumblebee-nests
Together, we can keep these great pollinators, in our area and around the country, thriving!
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