Let’s talk Bees

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Why We Need to Save the Bees (And 4 Easy Ways to Help in Your Backyard)

Honey bees and bumble bees have gotten lumped into the same category as every other flying thing with a stinger, and that’s just not fair. Wasps and hornets are 100% a-holes, but honey bees and bumble bees are completely different story. These little pollinators do an enormous amount of work behind the scenes, helping flowers bloom, gardens grow and crops produce food.

🐝 They Feed the Planet

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), roughly one-third of the world’s food production relies on pollinators. Bees pollinate 70 out of the top 100 human food crops. No bees? Goodbye apples, almonds, avocados, and chocolate.

🐝 Bees Are Having a Rough Time

Honeybees and bumblebees face a combination of problems including pesticides, disease, parasites, poor nutrition and habitat loss.

Commercial honeybee colonies have experienced major losses over the years, while certain species of bumblebee have also seen serious declines.

That doesn’t mean every bee you see is disappearing, but it does mean these pollinators could use a little help.

Especially since they’re doing an enormous amount of work for us.

🐝 They Support Local Ecosystems

Bees don’t only pollinate the plants we eat.

They also help pollinate flowers, shrubs and other plants that provide food and shelter for birds, insects and wildlife.

So when pollinators struggle, the effects can spread far beyond the bees themselves.

Tiny insect. Ridiculously important job.

4 Easy ways to help

No, I’m not going to tell you to become a bee keeper! With just a few small changes, you can make your backyard more bee friendly.

1. Plant Bee-Friendly Flowers

This is probably the easiest one.

Bees are especially attracted to colors like blue, purple, yellow and white. They also tend to love simple, open flowers that make it easy to reach the pollen and nectar.

Some great options include:

Lavender
Coneflowers
Black-eyed Susans
Zinnias
Bee balm
Asters
Goldenrod

Try to plant several different varieties so something is blooming from spring through fall. That gives bees a more reliable food source throughout the growing season.

Pro Tip: Native flowering plants are usually a great choice because they’re already adapted to your local climate and provide valuable food for pollinators

2. Give Bumblebees a Little Space

Bumblebees don’t live in the big hanging hives we usually picture when we think about bees.

Many bumblebees nest underground, often using abandoned rodent burrows or other small cavities.

That means leaving a few less-than-perfect areas of your yard alone can actually help.

You don’t have to let the entire property go wild. Just avoid disturbing every patch of bare soil, leaves or natural vegetation you see.

Apparently being slightly lazy with yard cleanup can officially count as helping wildlife. Finally, some good news.

3. Make a bee water station

Yes, bees get thirsty.

And while they can drink from puddles, ponds and other natural water sources, you can easily give them another option in your yard.

Fill a shallow dish with pebbles, stones or glass gems and add enough water to reach partway up the rocks.

The stones give bees somewhere safe to land while they drink instead of accidentally going for a swim they did not sign up for.

Just remember to keep the water fresh and refill it when it dries out.

4. Ditch the Harsh Chemicals

Pesticides and weed killers can affect beneficial insects right along with the pests you’re actually trying to get rid of.

Whenever possible, start with the least aggressive option first.

Pull weeds by hand. Remove pests manually. Encourage beneficial insects. Choose targeted treatments instead of spraying everything in sight.

And if you do need to use a garden treatment, check the label carefully and avoid spraying flowers while bees are actively visiting them.

With all that said

Helping bees really doesn’t require some massive backyard transformation.

Plant a few flowers. Give them a safe source of water. Skip unnecessary pesticides. Leave a little bit of your yard imperfect.

Small changes add up.

And considering honeybees and bumblebees spend their days pollinating our flowers, gardens and food supply for absolutely no salary whatsoever, the least we can do is make the yard a little more welcoming.