Local, Honey, It’s the Place to Bee

• More than a quarter of the Western bee population has been lost.
• Some hives are seeing all the adult honeybees disappear for no overt reason, a syndrome dubbed “Colony Collapse Disorder”. The cause for CCD is unknown.
• Keeping in mind the important role bees play in food production- in this country, one in every three bites depends on the bee– this could have dire consequences on our food supply, as well as on the already worrying cost of food.

What can we do to Save the Bees?

1. Buy local. Support your local beekeepers and the knowledge they provide to those researching a solution. Local honey also allegedly helps with seasonal allergies, because it contains local pollen. (We’ve just started buying it, but I’ll let you know if we see any improvements.)
2. Plant wildflowers. Bees are particularly attracted to diversity, bright colors, sunny spots and native plants.
3. Support bee research. Donate directly to research programs like the one at Penn State University.
   Or, a tasty option: Buy Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream or other “bee dependent” flavors. Haagen-Dazs has created Vanilla Honey Bee, and a “help the honeybees” website, in an effort to raise awareness of the bee problem. They also are donating funds to research.
4. Don’t use pesticides. Remember pesticides don’t discriminate: they kill the good and the bad. And the effect they may have on our children makes me very nervous.
5. Spread the word. Always, always.

“Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Those who live in the Northern Delaware/ Chester County area; you have got to try Walt Broughton’s Swarmbustin’ Honey. You can find it at the co-op in Newark.

Oh man, is it sweet and delicious, especially spooned into homemade yogurt. I am trying to replace table sugar with Walt’s yummy honey whenever possible.

Doing my part to support local beekeepers! Not too much of a burden.

P.S. This comes from my Domino magazine:

Beautify your yard with a free packet of wildflower seeds from Haagen-Dazs- as a bonus, the nectar will feed endangered honeybees. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

HAAGEN-DAZS SAVE THE HONEY BEES PROGRAM/ DOMINO
50 FRANCISCO STREET, SUITE 400
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133

I imagine this falls under the heading “Limited Time Offer- While Supplies Last”.