~ Henry David Thoreau
One of my favorite experiences from the 'Menu for the Future' discussion group hosted at the Kingston library so far was hearing Laurie Sybertz's first hand account of bee keeping. She and her husband, Joe, keep bees. Or at least, Joe does. They really are fascinating, hardworking, humble little honey bees and are crucial the the successful pollination of many crops, contributing to at least one third of our 'plant' diet through their efforts.
Laurie also shared with us their plight, which we covered in more detail in our newsletter this week (see our website at www.southshoreorganics.com for a copy). The buzz is that with the use of insecticides, and large scale agricultural farming practices which destroy diversity and the introduction of gmo crops, nearly a third of bee hives have been disappearing. This is quite alarming, and is a new trend that has been established year on year for the past three or four years.
Lobbyists, bee keepers, organic consumer associations and farmers are all doing their bit to address the problem, but you can help too and the future of our food system may depend on it! Here's what you can do:
- Resist Perfection - allow a portion of your garden to return to its 'wild state' with brush, grasses, weeds, deadwood and leaf litter to allow pollinators to find food, seek shelter and breed.
- Plant Flowers - a native flower garden in a sunny area, or even a herb garden. Hummingbirds and butterflies like yellow, red and orange flowers while bees prefer blue, purple, white and yellow flowers.
- Avoid Pesticides - pesticide misuse is one of the most significant threats to pollinators. Urban and suburban yards make up a large portion of land undergoing regular pesticide application, avoiding it is not only better for pollinators, it's better for your children, pets and water supply as well!
- Use Honey - support the honey industry and substitute honey for sugar in your own kitchen. When baking, use half as much honey as sugar, reduce the liquid by 1/4 cup and add 1/4tsp of baking soda per cup of honey used. And don't forget to buy local honey.
- Eat Ice Cream - Haagen Dazs launched a new limited-edition flavor called Vanilla Honey Bee, the company donates a portion of the proceeds from all 'honey-bee dependant flavors' to honey and sustainable pollination research. Visit their website www.helpthehoneybee.com.
- Bug Someone Else - pollinators are fragile and easily hurt, but they won't bother you if you leave them alone. Instead, bug your family and friends about the importance of pollinators in our food chain.
- Buy Organic - Organic farmers create pesticide free, pollinator friendly environments while providing healthy, fresh produce. When you buy organic you keep pesticides off fields and reduce exposure to GMO crops. Many organic farmers also keep bees because they know it improves their yields.
It takes more than 500 bees to make just one pound of honey, and honey is surely one of mother natures sweetest gifts. Long ago, we knew the value of the honeybees bounty as in ancient Egypt, taxes were paid with honey and in early Greece and Rome, honey symbolized fertility, love and beauty. Today we seem to have lost appreciation for this amazing insect, thank you Laurie for sharing your story with us, and for providing the resources for this blog, and the newsletter article.
Resources: MaryJanesFarm magazine
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