Anyone who has a toddler knows that when they find a movie they like that's it. That movie will be playing every chance they get! Right now that movie is the bee movie. Which I'm kinda loving cause first it's adorable and second it has a great message being that all life has value. Simple and beautiful.
If got me thinking about a few things. One being this whole honey issue. Is it really harming bees? And the other thing is about the importance of bees. Just how valuable are they?
So of course I turned to the internet to learn more so I could finally make a decision and what I learned was like WOW!
Ok let's talk about honey and wax. Apparently like every other area of life there are good and bad beekeepers. Yikes! Bad ones try to make bees produce more than what is possible, thus hurting bees and actually killing some of them off in the process. And good ones want to take care of the bee colonies. They know that the bees make honey because they need the honey and wax to survive. However good beekeepers also know that bees make a surplus and so you can harvest some of the honey and wax regularly without harming the bees. They are actually helping the bees by supporting the colonies. So I guess the answer for me is to chose ethically responsible companies to buy my honey from.
Now that I finally have my honey question figured out onto the bigger question. How important are bees? After a bit more googling to my surprise I have found out that if bees were to all die off we would have about 4 years till we all died off with them! Wait what!? Yikes! Intense right!? Bees are responsible for the majority of the worlds crop pollination and without them a good percent of the worlds foods would not exist. At least all the foods that the bees pollinate would be lost and with them goes all the creatures that eat those foods.
After all this I think it's safe to say that the majority of us take these little winged friends for granted. But no more. Well not in this house anymore at least. I mean we already always try to save each little critter that finds it's way in here but now I think we have a deeper appreciation. A deeper appreciation of all living things and all the food we put in our mouths.
"I'm just saying all life has value! You don't know what he's capable of feeling!" The bee movie
Well yes, they really really important. Here in my country they get a special respect, they're considered human and nobody knows how it started. I have a cousin who's a beekeeper, it's so weird, bees know him and never sting him while is working with the beehives. It is wierd because bees don't live more than 3 months and they still get to know him
Holy beegeezes! That's so cool! Thanx fir sharing that with me! The more I learn about these little critters the more fascinated I am by them!
The only thing I hate of them is, after the Queen is done with the males, they're not allowed in the beehive anyone, which means they die of winter. Ups
That's been brutal! I had no problem idea! Sometimes nature is incredibly harsh!
This is a WONDERFUL post! Ironically I too, am preparing a post today about bees and beewax, having again today advised someone of the SERIOUS negative health effects of paraffin. Delightful post, ma'am. Resteemed with pleasure!! :)
Awwww thanx so much! And I can't wait to read your post! I've been learning so much about bees lately and I am so fascinated by them! Such tiny miraculous creatures they are!
Coming, coming... I have x2 posts in draft mode and also responding to the ecotrain QOTW. :) which all takes e towards my goal of DAILY QUALITY posting. :)
Oh I know all about having multiple posts being in the works st the same time. Some never even get finished and get lost in a sea of blog beginnings. Bahahaha.
While I have little empathy for my food and other species, I still agree with you completely hat the whole planet needs bees and they are the #1 priority when it comes to endangered species. I'm in full allegiance with the honey bee's mission. They are like silent keepers of what makes earth habitable for mammals and their role in the food chain is irreplaceable. Sadly, did you know the situation is so dire that scientists are inventing solar powered nano-bees for a back-up plan? And guess who filed the damn patent! WALMART! You've got to read this:
http://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-robot-bees-farming-patent-2018-3
Okay enough selling. Strange perhaps coming from such an omnivorous person as myself. Planting bee friendly flowers and having bee hotels is what I'm currently doing — aside from being overly mindful of gmos and stuff. It's such a helpless situation because we have these planes that spray platics and metals up here in the USA. I haven't seen a single bee all Spring :(
Wow! That's awful! I am actually speechless! Robot bees! Eeeeeek! Thanx for sharing this info with me! I keep learning so much more about the bees and I feel like I was totally blind and clueless before! Sending all the love to you! Great work helping the bees!
Bees are such of major importance to our ecosystem and most people are not realizing that. If you want to know more about keeping bees, check out @bushkill profile, he is like the beekeeper guru! (including awesome pictures!)
Cool! I'll be sure to check out his page! Thanx!
I love bees, not only are they incredibly important for the ecosystem, they are also adorable :)
And yes, it makes a huge difference where you buy your honey from. I'm not too big on honey but enjoy some of it in my tea every now and then (especially when I have a cold, honey is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties) and then I buy organic honey from local beekeepers. I recently learned that organic honey isn't necessarily referring to the plants the bees collect the nectar from (I had always wondered, you can't really control where they fly) but how they are kept. For example, beekeepers have to ensure the bees have enough honey to feed themselves and comfortably survive winter. Supporting those beekeepers means supporting bees :)
Wow! Thanx for that info! I also didn't realize what organic honey meant! Wonderful to know! I will ALWAYS buy from local organic sources from here on out! Gotta do our part to support our bees!
so this is you?? :o vegan AND a natural momma, I love it :) .. way to be such a force for good in the world
the OGs of decentralization 😆
thanks for breaking down all your research! was cool to read, especially with the awesome pics. I'm not too into honey anyways :p so don't really have a dog in the race, but cool to learn more!
Eeeeeek! Blushing! You caught me! Yup this is the other me! Bahahahaha! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanx for stopping by and leaving a little love! It's greatly appreciated! 😘
ahah! 😃😃
Great post! Those avocados look delicious!
Thanx so much! They were definitely delicious!
Aw look at you with that big bowl of avos (as we call them here in Oz). What a lovely name you have too - my husband's name is Jamie, but he aint as pretty as you. Bees rock. We have a hive in our garden.
Hehehe! You are too sweet! It is a pretty good name isn't it! So happy to hear you are hosting some of these lovely little black and yellow friends! 🐝❤️❤️❤️
Lol thanks for the photo credits. I don’t think you have to keep saying it anymore though lol 😘
Thanx! Just thought I would give you the credit you deserve for taking such lovely photos!
Aww lol thanks for being such a gorgeous model lol! ;)
Thanks for your post. I'm a bee guardian of several years and never take their honey. We have long winters here so you're never quite sure how much stores they will need... I also wonder whether the bee decline has anything to do with them being given sugar water rather than their own honey which in my mind must affect their resilience and immune system as honey is their medicine... The bee's know whats best for them, so I provide somewhere for them to live and thrive and don't bother them. Like heremonioum said about the bee's knowing their cousin I find that too. Its like they know I'm not a threat so they let me sit with them. I just sited some whisky barrel bee hives on my allotment and waiting in hope for a couple of swarms to move in :)
Love hearing about people taking care of the bees! And yes you make a great point! I guess they plan for a long winter which is why they make extra so taking it could mean if tge winter is extra long then they are SOL. That doesn't seem very nice for the bees! Thanx fir sharing your thoughts! Lots of love to you and your bees!
Great post! I've become more and more interested in bees over the past few years, and find them fascinating.
Especially this crazy fact:
An average worker bee makes only about 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
Sending love out to all the bees, and all the beeings!
Same! Bees have definitely had my attention for the past few years and the more I learn the more I'm like WOAH! You guys are fucking awesome! Yes let's send out ALL the love to the bees! 😍