I know a lot of people that are terrified of bees. One even does the "bee dance" by hopping around trying to escape what is certain death from these little creatures.
Fact of the matter is bees are dying off and we are not really sure why. They are under pressure from "Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is a dead colony with no adult bees, or dead bee bodies, but a live queen and in most cases honey and immature bees are still present. No reason for CCD has been proven.
So why should you care about the honey bee? Their work in pollinating crops is estimated to increase crop value by $15 billion dollars. Roughly one mouthful in three in our diet is related to benefits from honeybee pollination.
So not only do we not know why the bees are dying, but the honey and crops they are responsible for could be at risk.
The best way to support bees is a visit to your local beekeeper for great local raw honey or other bee products, or plant a garden with something like this. If you grow your own fruits and veggies, you might BEE surprised at how much more your plants produce with added help from honey bees.
Here is a picture of my earlier (16 years ago?) experience with honeybees.
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