Save the Honey Bees!

I have something to declare - my sister, Jessica Arinella, is a champion for Honey Bees! I'm not sure when it started. Maybe she saw a late night documentary while suffering from insomnia. Or maybe it was when she first read the quote that Einstein may or not have said - “If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.”

Now if you have met my sister, or read any of her blogs, you know that statements like this will kick off her ISD (impending sense of doom). Basically, if she hears something about the extinction of the human race, her face contorts to panic and she goes fetal. However, now that she has What You Can Do, she tells everyone about the issue, and starts making a difference.

So Jess started talking, and I started Freaking Out! Regardless if whether the greatest mind in the 20th century declared this statement or not, that's a pretty freaky statement. And these bees do some great work. Bees pollinate plants and not just our flowers. If you're eating something, it started with a bee. But it spreads much further. Chances are, if you're taking vitamins or minerals to help your skin, boost your immune system or helping to fight your cholesterol, it was probably fertilized by a bee.

And what about honey? I'm a big champion of it's delicious stickiness. I suffer from terrible headaches and once allergy season kicks in, I know I'm gonna be down for the count for at least a month. But by eating honey, you help your body deal with it's allergies by ingesting a small amount of the pollen. (The honey has to be local to your area, so you're getting the right plant pollens). They're not even that scary. A very dear friend of ours has a bee colony. She says it's a lot of fun, not intimidating, and we reap the tasty rewards. Those boys do some great work.

So what can you do? Well, if you're like me, and planning on planting a flower and/or vegetable garden this year, make sure to avoid pesticides. Research plants that bloom in the spring, summer, and fall, so that you're providing bees with pollen in all seasons. Plant large sections of flowers close together and plant at least ten different varieties of flowers, as bees like diversity.

Let me know what you decide to plant or if you work with Honey Bees.
Thanks for reading - My sister thanks you and so do I!
Alicia