It's easy to feel like small actions won't have any impact on the big picture. However, individual actions can be a huge help! Here are five things you can do at home to help the bees, and build a happier community.
1) Plant Bee-Friendly Flowers
Due to the current popular mono-culture farming practices, bees are losing their habitats. They don't have the same sprawl they once had to live happily. But planting flowers in your own garden can give them a place to come! Avoid treating them chemically, as that can harm the bees and their systems.
Some good flowers you can plant:
Honeysuckle
Sunflowers
Dahlias
Bee balm
Cosmos
Coneflower
Butterfly Bush
For more information and more flowers you could plant, click here!
2) Give Them Water!
Bees live a lot happier with a little bit of water! If you find yourself with bees beginning to visit your garden, you can help them out by putting a bowl of water out for them. A bird bath with some stones to crawl on is perfect!
3) Avoid Using Pesticides
While they may help your yard and garden to look pretty and clean, pesticides are incredibly harmful! The chemicals end up killing off a lot of the good things living and growing in the environment. Not to mention, pesticides that end up in flowers find their way into the pollen, which gets into the honey, which in turn, gets into us. To help keep things happy, healthy, and - most importantly - alive, avoid spraying pesticides!
4) Support Local, Organic Farmers
When you buy from local farmers, chances are, it's easy to know what practices they're using. It's less likely they're based around mono-culture farming, and more likely they're also doing their part to build and maintain a healthy environment. Look into where your food is coming from, and support good practices!
5) Don't Kill All Your Weeds!
Not all weeds are bad for your yard! Dandelions and clover is actually great for bees. They can be an important food source that keep them happy and healthy Don't be so quick to pull them all from your yard. Not all weeds are bad!