The Top 5 Ways You Can Protect Honey Bees - and Save the World!

The honey bee is an integral part of the food chain, and its population has been declining rapidly. In fact, in the last few years alone, we have lost around 10 million beehives! It's up to all of us to do our part to save these crucial pollinators. 

The impacts of Colony Collapse Disorder and the human destruction of bee habitats have caused untold damage to bee populations - and our world as a whole.

Are you looking for ways to help? Here are five simple steps we can all take to save our bee neighbors - and perhaps save the world itself!

5. Become a Beekeeper!

Honey bees are one of the most important pollinators in our food supply. As honeybees suffer from population decline, we need more "beekeepers" to take up this rewarding hobby!

Beekeeping is inexpensive and straightforward - all you'll need is an old-fashioned glass jar (or, even better, a used mayonnaise jar), a screw-top lid, and some sugar water.

Sugar water is an inexpensive way to feed your new bees - all you need to do is mix one teaspoon of white granulated sugar with four teaspoons of warm tap water until dissolved.

Some beekeepers prefer to use frames made of wood, which you can buy or make at home. You'll need a couple of pieces of untreated lumber along with some screws and nails to assemble the frame. The size depends on how many hives (or honeycombs) you want to manage - but start small!

Lastly, you'll need the bees themselves. You can contact a local beekeeper to purchase a colony of bees and learn how to sustainably and responsibly keep bees.

As an added bonus, if left untouched by humans, they will produce honey in about six weeks! Who knew that tending beehives could be so rewarding?

4. Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden

Want another fun way to help bees? Start a new gardening hobby!

Planting flowers and herbs that will thrive in your area is a great way to encourage honeybee flourishing. Planting an herb garden with fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, parsley, or mint means you'll have extra for cooking too! You can also plant wildflowers - the perfect food source for bees' pollination.

Some of the most attractive plants to bees and other pollinators include any type of clover, mints, lavender, orange daylilies, columbine, asters, or goldenrod, as well as many species of sunflowers in the Helianthus genus.

3. Work to Reduce Your Pesticide Use

Pesticides can be harmful to bees and other pollinators, as well as the environment. Using a natural approach to reducing pests in our gardens will help save bee populations and promote biodiversity among garden plants themselves!

Good alternatives for pest control include handpicking insects and their eggs from leaves, late-summer plantings of fragrant herbs such as thyme and rosemary, ladybugs (ladybugs are natural predators for aphids!), or using nematodes to control soil-inhabiting pests.

2. Avoid Using Non-Stick Pans

One of the best ways to protect honey bees is to change up how you cook!

It's true - non-stick pans release toxic chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) into the air when heated. When these PFAs are released, they can be inhaled and absorbed by honey bees before eventually settling on plants that pollinators visit for food or water.

It has been shown that these chemicals can affect the bee's ability to navigate back home, make new queens, or produce enough worker bees for their hive.

PFAs have been linked to declines in honey bee populations and other pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies.

To help bees, we need to avoid non-stick pans!

 

1. Adopt a Bee from Project Honey Bees

The number 1 way to help save our furry best friends? Adopt a bee from Project Honey Bees!

Project Honey Bees was founded by a team of bee-loving individuals who are on a mission to help save our beloved bee populations with fun and cute bee accessories.

Project Honey Bees has built a unique partnership with many bee saving organizations and local farmers to bring adorable bee-themed merchandise to the world that raises awareness and funds for honey bee research.

With every honey bee accessory purchased through Project Honey Bee, you will receive an adoption certificate with information about the significance of your contribution to helping save our precious pollinators! What better way to protect our world's most important natural pollinator?

Learn more with Project Honey Bee

There are many ways to help bees, from planting flowers and herbs to reducing your pesticide use.

If you want to get involved in the beekeeping movement, then consider joining Project Honey Bee on our mission to help protect our precious pollinators.

To see more of our efforts to help protect and save honey bee populations, head online to learn more. You can view our full line of Adopt A Bee jewelry and accessories inspired by our furry little friends!

We are proud to offer an entire catalog of necklaces, bracelets, pins, and more that will help you look great while you help protect honey bees and raise awareness. Head to Project Honey Bees online today to learn more!