Close to Nowhere

Did you know that out of every three bites of food we eat, one of those bites was made possible by bees and other pollinators. They spread the pollen that crops need to grow.

That includes a couple of my favorites, apples and honey. And I bet a few of you out there like coffee? Thank a bee for your morning cup.

We need bees badly, but we’re wiping them out. Honeybees have thrived for 50 million  years. Why are they dying now?

For about 10 years, they’ve been dying at an unprecedented rate — 30 percent a year. The total loss of domesticated honeybee hives in the United States is about $2 million.

Commercial agriculture widely uses pesticides that  have a lethal effect on bees. And there is a general decline in the quality of a bee’s diet. The bee is the only insect that produces food we eat.

Did you know that bees can fly up to five and a half miles, and as fast as 15 miles an hour? Their wings beat really fast, around 200 beats per second — that’s why they buzzzz.

Kellogg’s and Honeynut Cheerios (my personal favorite cereal) had a campaign recently to help save the bees by giving away wildflower seeds so we can grow better bee food. The goal was 100 million seeds. That goal was exceeded 10 times over, giving away 1.5 billion seeds.

I got mine. So did daughter Dana. Oldest granddaughter Merideth sent her request off after we did and they’d already run out. I have several Facebook friends who also got the packets of seeds.

Kellogg’s needs honey and honeybees so they’re planting flowers. According to their website “Save the Bees” by 2020 their oat farms will host about 3,300 acres of nectar- and pollen-rich wildflowers, which are full of the nutrients bees and other pollinators need to stay strong.

The Honey Nut Cheerios seed packets are from Vesey’s Seeds and can be bought at most seed racks.

Plant some wildflowers! Save the bees! And Honey Nut Cheerios!