If you’ve picked up a newspaper, flipped on the TV, scanned the Internet or thumbed through a magazine recently, I bet you’ve seen repeat news coverage on a few of the same topics recently: gas prices, the presidential race and, most surprisingly, vanishing honeybees.
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I’ll spare you my opinion on the Democrats and Republicans as well as on the gas price situation. (Let me point out that we own a diesel truck and I’m not happy with paying $4.50 a gallon.)
Let’s look at the bees. Honeybees are vanishing. And by record numbers. It’s not like they’re moving to another country or retiring to a senior center. Honeybees are dying off.
Depending on which statistic you read or what report you follow, trying to figure out the plight of the honeybees is like deciphering the war in
The bees may or may not be on the verge of becoming extinct. But since bees are important to the horticultural industry in general, I’m leaning on the side of caution. Instead of analyzing why the bees are vanishing, I’d like to focus on what we can do.
Step up and lend a hand
Although the plight of the bees is tragic, as an industry, we are in the perfect position to help.
Also, while bees are on consumers’ minds, this is the time to promote plants and flowers that attract bees and help them remain healthy. Try monarda (bee-balm), Shasta daisies, coneflowers and calendula.
If you don’t have “Bee Friendly” on your tags or in your plants’ lists of benefits, this might be a good time to add it. Check with your local extension office or with an entomologist for a list of recommended plants.
Review your pesticide records to make sure you’re applying the right rates at the right time. Or, try biologicals and less harmful control agents to deal with insects and diseases.
Consider implementing more sustainable methods so your business has less negative effect on the environment.
Other industries helping out
There’s been plenty of speculation as to why bees are disappearing , and, thankfully, a lot of groups and individuals are taking action to help “save the bees.” Two of the biggest companies showing bee support are Haagen-Dazs and Burt’s Bees.
Haagen-Dazs has named an ice cream to support the bees -- Vanilla Honey Bee -- and created a Web site to answer consumer questions -- www.helpthehoneybees.com. A portion of ice cream sales goes to university programs to study CCD and for sustainable pollination research.
Haagen-Dazs also sponsors a postdoctoral research fellowship in honey bee biology at the University of California-Davis. UC-Davis houses the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, which is the nation’s largest apiculture facility in the
Burt’s Bees Mobile Tour will visit 30
For more: Haagen-Dazs, www.helpthehoneybees.com. Burt’s Bees, www.burtsbees.com. Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, (530) 752-0475; http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/dept/beebio.cfm.
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Jyme Mariani
July 2008