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January 29th, 2013

Bees

bees

Image: bees. Admittedly they could be any small flying-type thing.

The decline in the number of bees is something I feel strongly about, so I signed a petition today. I think most of us, isolated from nature in our suburban worlds, don’t realise how important bees are to us. I know online petitions only go so far in changing things, but it is something at least. If you’d like to join me I have posted some links below.

I’d like to do more in the way of environment-themed cartooning, but I find it incredibly difficult.

Avaaz – 48 hours to ban bee killers (petition)
Friends of the Earth: The bee cause
Latest news about pesticides from FOE

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6 Responses to “Bees”


  1. Jaded for Jesus says:

    Well done. Will sign.

    Another thing a lot of us can do is grow bee-attracting plants. Even a window-box in a sunny spot can make a difference.

    January 30th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
  2. Dave says:

    Thanks J4J,

    One can search online of course, but do you have any particular sources of advice on ideal bee-attracting plants?

    January 30th, 2013 at 3:52 pm
  3. Ann says:

    We are starting a Mason bee colony — without bees we will have no fruit and other things in the food chain.

    January 30th, 2013 at 4:52 pm
  4. Anne says:

    There are a lot of websites that give details on planting bee-friendly gardens. Here is a nice one: http://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/act-today-2/plant-a-bee-garden/

    The plants described are native to Illinois, so your plants might be different. I suspect you could easily find a “bee garden” website for your area. Basically you want a succession of blooms from early spring through fall. You want to plant natural species, which have lots of pollen, as opposed to hybrids which have much less. Bees like a little area with some water. And something I didn’t know, big, showy double blooms aren’t as popular with bees as single blooms such as daisies. Again, more of the goodies they crave.

    They also mention one of my very favorite flowers, bee-balm. I don’t know if it occurs in England or if it’s a North American flower, but it is beautiful, grows wild here, and attracts both bumble and honey bees. I personally think it’s absolutely beautiful, too, with its vivid red flowers. It’s a cousin to bergamot. So if you have bee balm, be sure to put some in your garden.

    January 30th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
  5. Maggie Swinson says:

    We can also encourage people (including churches) to keep bees. Urban bees are doing better than rural bees because the food supply is more varied than the monoculture which is so prevalent in the countryside. We have bees in our suburban garden and my husband’s office have 2 hives in part of their office car park up here and a hive on the roof of their London office building.

    January 30th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
  6. Ann says:

    Bees love dandelions (my beekeeper friend says so). I have long since given up the war against the dandelions that plague my grass, and now I can feel good about it because I’m supporting the bees.

    January 31st, 2013 at 10:08 am