10: It's all about the bees

How You Can Save The World: Sustainable Living and Social Activism

Pesticides and habit changes are killing honeybees. What can we do to rescue these vital pollinators? We talk honey, hives, gardening, and "the birds and the bees" in this month's episode. Interviews with Jessica Lamden and Kirk Anderson.

Helpful bee information

• What does a honey bee eat and how do they collect it? -Catskill Provisions
• Why do honey bees need pollen? -Bee Pollen Products
• HoneyLove, urban bee keepers (website of the McFarlands, authors of Save the Bees with Natural Backyard Hives)
• The Orchard Mason Bee: The Life History, Biology, Propagation, and Use of a North American Native Bee by Brian L. Griffin (Author), Sharon Smith (Illustrator)
• Bee friendly plants
• Suggestions for planting a bee garden from Honey Bee Conservancy
• Natural Resources Defense Council information on saving the bees
• Nature Conservancy’s page on bees
• Suggestions for planting a bee garden from Honey Bee Conservancy

Kirk Anderson’s Apiary

• Apricot Lane Farms

Call to Action

• Contact the biggest manufacturer of Neonics, Bayer
• I could not, of course, locate an actual address for the CEO of Bayer but here is his snail mail address. I’d just write a note addressed to the CEO of Bayer MY research indicates that this is:
• Dr. Marijn Dekkers, 51368 Leverkusen, Germany, Phone: [phone]
• Monsanto, thee US’s the biggest ahem, home grown, polluter.
• Their website claims they are a “sustainable corporation.” Contact them and tell them what you think
• Two websites to find your congressperson and/or your senator and/or your state senator so you can email all of them about banning Neonics and saving the bees:
• OpenCongress.org
• House.gov