save the bees, save the food, save the earth.

in #health7 years ago (edited)

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You may or may not have heard in the past few years, that millions of our pollinators are dying off each year.
we rely on these bees to pollinate over 90% of our food supply. No bees means no food, they pollinate everything from strawberries to coffee. The list of reasons we need to save the bees is tremendous and very few people actually realize the importance of the bees. ( source of image: google.com)

This is in fact, a HUGE problem that is taking momentum quickly. Already places around the world have been drastically impacted by bee loss. Farmers are reporting that 30% of their bee colonies are dying each year, and that number is bound to go up. In other places around the world, bee loss is already affecting the food growth in a dramatic way. China is having to hand pollinate their apple and pear crops due to the loss of bees, even with people hand pollinating, there is no way that we could ever keep up with the tremendous amount of pollination that our flying friends do.

kevin frayer getty images bee pollen.jpeg
kevin frayer getty images pollinating pear tree.jpeg
(source: kevin Frayer/Getty images)

Why are the bees dying so quickly? well my friends there are a few reasons that this is happening, those reasons include, non-biodiversity, global warming, and the most prevalent of reasons ...pesticides.
More specifically a class of pesticides called Neonicotinoids, Neonics for short. These pesticides contain some of the same chemicals found in nicotine...i just have to pause for a second to let that sink in. These pesticides contain some of the same chemicals found in nicotine. whoa. our bees are getting addicted to these chemicals, which are slowly killing them. Mind you when i say slowly it is relative to the size of the bees. Humans that smoke kill themselves slowly, it takes time to develop respiratory issues and cancers as well as heart diseases. Now imagine how quickly that process goes for little bees, who have short life spans anyway. It does not stop there, on top of dying, (and what can really be above that?) the neonics cause brain damage to the bees, which robs them of their sense of direction, making it hard and sometimes impossible to find their way back to their colonies. This leads to colony collapse and starving bees.

danger pesticides.jpg
(source: organics.com)

Another thing you need to realize is that these crops are also eaten by us humans. We too are ingesting poison. We need to stop the use of these bee killing pesticides. Which by the way do not only kill bees, they also kill our other flying species, like butterflies, birds, dragonflies and such.
The problem is that we are up against multi million dollar companies, such as Monsanto and Bayer. These companies control a disturbing amount of our food supply, and Monsanto just bought Bayer. they now own the majority of the worlds seeds, and are the major offenders for GMO foods. They are now soaking the seeds in these pesticides alongside spraying them as they grow. They don't stop there though. These companies are lobbying to increase the allowable limit of these pesticides by 4 times.

activist post bayer monsanto.jpg
(source: activistpost.com)

Now take a deep breath. Here is how YOU can get involved, call the EPA and request that they stop using these pesticides, educate other people about this devastating problem and do more research for yourself. We need you. The bees need you. Your future generation and the earth need YOU.
I will be doing another blog post soon on things that you can do at home and in your gardens to help the bees and keep your plants from bugs without the use of pesticides.

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(source: myself )

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Having been a smoker in years past, it is very scary to hear what is happening to our bees. I am not surprised to also hear who is behind it. I will certainly do my part in writing to the EPA and will also resteem so my followers don't miss out on this very important message. It fits in very well with my blog on which I share "Lessons Learned". From a new follower. Blessings

@sharingandcaring I am glad that you stopped! congratulations on your will power. i also smoked for about two years and quit about a year ago. thank you for doing that for your body and the environment. Thank you for doing your part. one voice becomes a million voices if we do our part. i appreciate your resteem! I am going to check out your blog now and follow you! it is nice to meet you (: sending good energy to you as well friend.

Well done for sharing the bee message, bless their fluffy bottoms! I am a keen gardener always trying to find more varieties of plants to attract more. Have you read about the stingless honey bees of Central America that make a really extra medicinal honey? I am looking into get a hive of these. My grandfather was a master beekeeper so nice to keep the tradition going too.

thank you! it needs to be heard!! that is awesome, i respect gardeners so much haha i tried growing garlic and my plant disappeared! i tried another plant and i accidentally drowned it :( i was so excited to grow it and thought it always looked thirsty lol. i have not heard of them but i will most definitely look into them, thank your for the info! that is a beautiful tradition and legacy to leave on the earth, thank you for sharing!

Never give up on gardening, try starting with something that grows really fast and easily like radishes ( just 3 weeks ) or bok choi or leafy greens. Green beans are also really easy - you only need a few pots on a patio to get going too if you are short on garden space outdoors

@sallybeth23 thank you for your advice! I will make use of it! i am a bit short on space so i am glad to hear that it only takes a few pots on a patio to get started! I have not had the pleasure of radishes in my daily eating habits so i will for sure get some of those started! as well as some leafy greens. thank you for the inspiration!

Excellent and do look into the health benefits of radish - they are a superfood! Let me know how you get on . Do you have open garden space where you live?

i will do that! i do not have any open garden space in my apartment complex unfortunately :( but i am moving next month to an apartment where i will have a balcony and more sun, so i am thinking of doing a contained raised garden bed in some sort of container since my balcony is upstairs and concrete. any suggestions ? thank you @sallybeth23

Oh a sunny balcony will be perfect - you can create your very own hanging gardens of Babylon. I will send you some links to inspire you soon

ahhhhh yesss! thank you so much. i appreciate you!

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Thank you for this very important message about how misuse of pesticides is not only killing bees, but also killing us humans!

I would love to see more initiatives toward community gardening and apiaries taking control away from commercial growers who create false scarcity and giving it to individuals. De-centralize food!

I wrote about bees just yesterday, I think your post is a good resteem for my readers too so you get my $0.02 upvote and a resteem.
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@timeshiftarts you are very welcome! it is something that is not in most peoples mind. I am so glad that it is in yours! ahhhs so would i, my friend. I have been racking my brain for months now trying to come up with ideas to get people more involved in community and natural living and life. i am taking a health class and found a website that helps finance land specifically for community gardening. i would love to find where i have it written down and share it with you. thank you so much for your support. i am going to go read your article and upvote it as well...KNOWLEDGE TO THE PEOPLE!

Nice post with interesting information! Great idea! I absolutely agree with you, "keep your plants from bugs without the use of pesticides".

thank you! I am glad it was to your liking! it is very important to know! i hope you call the EPA and advocate for our bees! yes i will do a post on how to do that naturally soon! thank you for your comment and reading, i appreciate you! (:

With my pleasure! ;)