14/04/2020
A bit of a long post here and something a Little different but here’s a little info about bees:
Honey bees can fly up to speeds of 25km per hour and beat their wings 200 times per second! The average worker bee only lives for 5-6 weeks and will produce around a 12th of a teaspoon of honey whereas the queen bee can live up to 5 years, she is the busiest in summer and can lay up to 2,500 eggs per day!
However Over the last 15 years colonies have been disappearing due to insecticide and herbicide use and global warming so much that in some regions up to 90% of bees have disappeared!! Without bees humans wouldn’t have very much to eat as they contribute to 1/3 of our global food source, here’s an example of what we could lose if all the bees died:
Alfalfa, Almonds, Apples, Asparagus, Beans, Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Brussels sprouts, Buckwheat, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Cauliflower, Celery, Cherries, Chestnuts, Chives, Clover, Cranberries, Cucumber, Currants, Eggplant, Flax, Garlic, Gooseberries, Grapes, Horseradish, Kale, Lettuce, Mustard, Onions, Parsley, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Pumpkins, Radishes, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Squash, Strawberries, Sunflowers, Sweet potatoes, Turnips, Watermelon, Mangos, Rambutan, Kiwi Fruit, Peaches, Nectarines, Guava, Rose Hip, Pomegranites, Black and Red Currants, Okra, Cashews, Cactus, Prickly Pear, Apricots, Allspice, Avocados, Passion Fruit, Lima Beans, Kidney Beans, Adzuki Beans, Green Beans, Orchid Plants, Custard Apples, Coffee, Walnut, Cotton, Lychee, Flax, Acerola (used in Vitamin C supplements), Macadamia Nuts, Sunflower Oil, Goa beans, Lemons, Buckwheat, Figs, Fennel, Limes, Quince, Carrots, Persimmons, Palm Oil, Loquat, Durian, Cucumber, Hazelnut, Cantaloupe, Tangelos, Coriander, Caraway, Chestnut, Star Apples, Coconut, Tangerines, Boysenberries, Starfruit, Brazil Nuts, Beets, Mustard Seed, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Bok Choy, Turnips, Congo Beans, Sword beans, Chili peppers, red peppers, bell peppers, green peppers, Papaya, Safflower, Sesame, Eggplant, Raspberries, Elderberries, Blackberries, Clover, Tamarind, Cocoa, Vanilla, Cranberries and Tomatoes!
There a a few little things you can do to help save the bees though...
* Plant a bee-friendly garden. Flowers help feed bees and other valuable pollinators. ...
* Bees Need Trees they aren't only just interested in perennials! ...
* Create a Bee Bath!