Sweet Like Honey

Did you know that yesterday was World Bee Day??

People who know me well know that I have a bit of an obsession with bees and anything bee related. It started when I was 16 and read The Secret Life of Bees for the first time. https://amzn.to/45g4BUN Since then my love and fascination for them have only grown. Bee books, bee mugs, bee earrings, bee art, honey… I love it all.

Just this morning, my kids and I were wandering around our yard, looking at bugs and flowers, and as we got closer to our Rhododendron bush with its newly opened pink flowers, we heard them. It’s true when they say “the hum of bees is the voice of the garden…” When you’re surrounded by so many of them, it truly is mesmerizing. We stood close and still, watched and listened, and it was a moment I’ll always treasure.

My dream is to one day become a bee keeper and harvest my own honey. I did have a hive last year, but because of an unfortunate bear incident, I’m now waiting to start again when I have the time to fully dedicate myself to it. The experience was thrilling and nerve wracking and fulfilling and heart wrenching all at the same time, and I was filled with a lot of guilt after the bear got into my hive… It was a learning experience though, and I’ve come to accept that it wasn’t the time for me to pursue that particular dream. In the meantime, I keep reading and learning about them, and doing my small part to help them thrive.

https://a.co/d/b8Hvccu

You don’t need to become a bee keeper, but if you want to do a little something to help protect and restore the population of these hard working creatures, here are a few ideas:

• Plant a bee friendly garden, or make sure you have plants around your yard that bees love. Some of my favourites are goldenrod, marigolds, lavender, sunflowers, borage, clover, lemon balm… The list goes on and on, but these are ones that I plant around my yard anyway. You can also buy packs of wildflower seeds that bees and butterflies like. https://amzn.to/42UB3dr Sometimes I scatter them in empty patches around my yard and see what comes up. Trees are also a huge source of nectar for bees. The key is diversity!
• Leave water out for your bees. Place a shallow bowl or plate of water out in your garden or yard, but make sure to arrange some stones for them to stand on so they don’t drown.
• Avoid pesticides and herbicides.
• Support your local bee keepers and buy their products. Did you know that eating locally produced honey can also help with seasonal allergies, as the honey is made from local plants?
• Teach your kids about bees and their importance. Nurture a love for them instead of encouraging them to fear or kill them. I really try to instill in my kids the significance of bees and the vital role they play in our world. I understand that some people have allergies, but educating your kids about being cautious and respectful can go a long way, too.
• Leave your dandelions alone. I know, I know… This is a tough one, but I do think it’s all about balance. Yes, we mow our lawn (even though I do love dandelions), but we try to keep certain areas of dandelions and other weeds around the outskirts. There are patches around our yard that are hard to get to with the mower, so we leave them alone!
• Use Burt’s Bees products (this one is just a personal choice of mine). But did you know that they have planted over 5000 acres of pollinator habitat? https://amzn.to/3omw06F

Here is the 2023 UN Guide if you want another resource: https://www.fao.org/3/cc5759en/cc5759en.pdf

Bees captivate me, and I am constantly amazed by their abilities. Over one third of our diet is dependent on pollinators, so we need to take more responsibility for their conservation. Not only that, but to me they are “little souls that deserve a life” regardless of our reliance on them. Our world would not be the same without their work, so let’s bee grateful and step up. Now I’m going to make a cup of honey orchid oolong and sit in my garden and watch for bees 🙂