Save the Bees & Save yourself
Bees are in severe danger of extinction, across the globe. With this very real threat of losing 75% of the foods we thrive on as a race, more and more well meaning people are looking into becoming a beekeeper. Most seeds, plants and/ or flowers that you buy from local garden shops, are coated with a pesticide that lasts up to 6 years, you cannot wash the insecticide off. These pesticides are neonicotinoids and are banned in some US states and countries around the world.
To help our bees, we must buy and plant only USDA certified organic seeds and plants.
I speak to hundreds of well meaning and super smart people in our community, most of them have a sincere desire to help our bees. A good amount of them are researching how to become a beekeeper. They search online, call local beekeepers and have no idea, they are learning how to be a "bad" bee keeper.
In the news, we learn that more and more celebrities are beecoming beekeepers. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Morgan Freeman, and was thrilled to learn he is a new beekeeper, but I have my concerns over his methods. Check out his response on The Tonight's Show with Jimmy Fallon on why he DOES NOT wear a bee suit.
I hope and pray, that Morgan Freeman is bee-coming an organic or bio-dynamic beekeeper. I hope the gardener that he hired is an organic gardener that uses pesticide free flowers and plants on his property. In his interview, he mentions that he feeds his bees, sugar water...so I am afraid this well meaning and wonderful man is doing more harm than good for the very bees he is wanting to save. #morganfreeman Learn more about proper ways to feed/supplement honey bees here.
Quote from world renown Biodynamic beekeeper
Unsustainable beekeeping system
"Beekeeping now has the dubious honor of becoming the first part of our system of industrial agriculture to actually fall apart. Let’s stop pretending that something else is going on. We no longer have enough bees to pollinate our crops. Each time the bees go through a downturn, we respond by making things more stressful for them, rather than less--we move them around more often, expose them to still more toxic substances, or fill the equipment up again with more untested and poorly adapted stock. We blame the weather, the mites, the markets, new diseases, consumers, the Chinese, the Germans, the (fill in your favorite scapegoat), other beekeepers, the packers, the scientific community, the price of gas, global warming--anything rather than face up to what’s really happening. We are losing the ability to take care of living things."-- Kirk Webster
Whether your intentions are to help save our future food supply, by saving our honey bees and other native pollinators OR you have dollar signs in your eyes with pipe dreams of becoming your cities next big time producer of toxic honey waste....do us all a favor and finish reading this post. I will try to bee as kind as I can... but often honesty can bee a little painful.
Did you know that last year, across the US, conventional beekeepers are experiences 42 - 60% losses.
Conventional beekeepers primary goals are to produce honey to sell at a profit. Most conventional and large bee keepers are motivated by money, not saving pollinators.
Con-ventional beekeepers are responsible for the break neck speeds with the explosion of varroa mites and colony collapse disorder.
How do CB (conventional beekeepers) contribute to the massive declines in bee health?
- CB rob most if not all of the honey from a hive right before winter sets in.
- CB then use high fructose GMO corn syrup to feed the bees throughout the winter months or straight sugar water.
- CB use insecticides on their bees to kill the varroa mites on their bees.
- CB use insecticides knowing they will kill some bees, but hope to kill the mites.
- CB truck their hives across the country selling/pimping the bees out at pesticide sprayed fields of mono cultures like almond orchards.
- CB use antibiotics and other toxic chemicals to manage their hives.
- CB 'cook' their honey killing all the good bacteria and enzymes that make honey a healing treat.
- CB sell their honey under the guise of health food, when in reality, the honey is loaded with the insecticides and antibiotics they use to treat their bees.
What are we to do then to save the bees?
Bee-come an organic beekeeper
Organic beekeepers are only seeing 5% or less in losses each year. Why?
Jacqueline Freeman - Organic Beekeeper and Bio-dynamic farmer
Author of The Song of Increase
https://friendlyhaven.com/
Bio-dynamic beekeepers primary goal is to preserve the health and vitality of their bees. They have a genuine love and respect for these little unsung heroes.
A few pointers from a good blog on organic bee keeping
source: https://www.honeybeesuite.com/what-is-biodynamic-beekeeping/
Bio-dynamic beekeeping includes:
- Natural combs are used, rather than foundation.
- Swarming is recognized as the natural form of colony reproduction.
- Clipping of queen’s wings is prohibited.
- Regular and systematic queen replacement is prohibited.
- Pollen substitutes are prohibited.
- Beehives must be made of all natural materials, such as wood, straw, or clay.
- Artificial insemination is not used. Instead queens are allowed to fly free to mate.
- Grafting of larvae to produce queens is prohibited.
- No pesticides or antibiotics are allowed, although the use of natural organic acids such as formic and oxalic acid may be used for mite control.
- Honey may be transported in containers made of artificial materials but must be decanted into containers of glass or metal for retail sale.
Bee-come a hero for the bees, bee-come an organic bee keeper!
https://www.rudolfsteinercollege.edu/beekeeping
https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/sun-hive-biodynamic-initiative-0
https://www.seagerworld.com/biodynamic-beekeeping/4557793472
https://spiritbee.com/classes/
Learn how YOU can help us save the bees here: www.BeeHabitat.com
or call Sandy @ 775 453 6120 sandy @ bee habitat . com
www.facebook.com/megastarmedia
Please share your questions and comments below. Thank you for taking the time to learn more on how YOU can help save the bees.