Ah, the marvelous scent of hyacinths, and the dreamy buzzing of a languorous bee. What a great combination!
I love it when the bees appear each spring. It gives me hope – for a healthy harvest here at home, and for our planet.
Bees are hard working and much needed by every one of us: globally, they pollinate three quarters of the foods we humans eat. Without them our plates would be pretty empty. So you’d think we’d respect and honour these little critters, out of our own self-interest if nothing else.
Yet around the world, bees are in trouble. One of the main culprits appears to be a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, or “neonics” for short (which incidentally, also look to be harming birds).
Neonics are used to treat seeds and plants for home gardens and commercial agriculture, as well as lawns, termites and fleas. They persist in the soil for years, permeate the whole plant and come out in the pollen and nectar – even in dew drops. And bad news for humans, they can’t be washed off our food.
So what’s a person to do? We can buy certified organic food (especially when buying corn or soybean products). Gardeners can choose organic seeds and plants – untreated with pesticides – and use only organic growing methods. We can plant herbs and flowers that bees enjoy: look particularly for blue, purple or yellow blossoms.
The Bayer corporation is heavily involved in neonics, so there’s also a step you can take even if you’re not a gardener or farmer: replacing your bottle of Bayer Aspirin with generic ASA. And while you’re at it, check if your dog or cat’s flea treatment contains imidacloprid, the most widely used insecticide in the world (and Bayer Crop Science’s largest seller).
In the meantime, how about going outside to watch and listen to those beautiful bees at work? It’s guaranteed to bring on a case of the warm fuzzies.
Posted by Laurie MacBride, Eye on Environment on April 2, 2013 in Animals & Wildlife, Environmental issues, Garden, Insects & other invertebrates and tagged bees, closeup, environment, flowers, gardening, nature, organic, pesticides, plants, pollination.
Love your wonderful macro, Laurie. And I’ve been so concerned about what’s happening to the bees. I’m glad you wrote about it and provided more info. I didn’t know about Bayer. This is such a crucial issue. Thanks!
Thanks, Sherry, and glad you like the image. It’s a very important issue, for sure.
I very much appreciate you getting the word out on this issue.
Great post Laurie. Super micro-photography shot. And very informative post.. It has changed my thought process on buying produce by the information you provided about the chemicals we use. Thanks.
Thanks for your lovely words and I’m happy to hear the post has made a difference. And BTW, I love those forest and alapaca shots you posted on your own blog the other day!
Thanks for the comment, Charlie. It’s certainly an important issue!