Honey Bees

The crunch of a crisp apple, picked right off the tree. The sweet juice that runs all over you when you eat a cantaloupe or watermelon. The vivid color of raspberries in you freshly squeezed lemonade. What do all of these foods have in common? They are pollinated by honey bees; along with several other crops.

There are a lot of pollinators, of which bees are 80%. From the crops that bees pollinate come 1/3 of our diet. These pollinators for the last decade have been on the decline. One factor linked to pollinator decline is the misuse of a category of insecticides known as neonicitinoids. While neonicitinoids are used as a systemics insecticide, meaning they move through the plant, they are also used in a verity of different chemical formulas such as dusts, liquid, or granular. Some formulations include Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam.

The average homeowner can take simple steps to reduce see decline. Are you applying the chemical

correctly: time of the day, weather, measurement of the product and using the least harmful chemical for bees? Read and follow the label! Understand what chemicals are in use.

With these tips I hope you enjoy your garden. And remember the Honey Bees and other pollinators!!

*Amerucan Bee Journal. Wild Bee Decline Threatens US Crop Production

              University Of Vermont

*Honey Bee Biology & Beekeeping

              Dewey M. Caron

*Nature. 2012 Nov. 1; 491(7422):105-8doi/nature 1158. epub2012 Oct 21.