I’m sure you’ve been reading and hearing stories about how endangered bees and other pollinators are. Sadly, bees, bats and hummingbirds are increasingly under threat from human activities.
In order to try to attract more bees, I have planted marigolds and nasturtium on my Tower Gardens and right next to them I have potted lavender and coreopsis bushes. Also nearby there are two lantana plants.
Our ecosystems cannot survive without pollination. Did you know that nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plants depend, entirely, or at least partly, on animal pollination. More than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land also depend on pollinators.
To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
“The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.
We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity.”
How can we do more to help?
The UN has suggested we can help individually by:
planting a diverse set of native plants, which flower at different times of the year;
buying raw honey from local farmers;
buying products from sustainable agricultural practices;
avoiding pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in our gardens;
protecting wild bee colonies when possible;
sponsoring a hive;
making a bee water fountain by leaving a water bowl outside;
helping sustaining forest ecosystems;
raising awareness around us by sharing this information within our communities and networks.
The decline of bees affects us all!
The UN has designated May 20 as Bee Day because this date coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability to work so hard, while needing so little attention.
Gwen O’Neill has been a gardener for over 40 years and has always been a passionate cook. Her own health challenges led her to experiencing a variety of healing modalities. After finding that her health improved with eating more whole food and improving her nutrition using a real, whole food based supplement called Juice Plus, she committed to sharing this experience with others. The Tower Garden by Juice Plus makes it easy to grow produce right outside your kitchen door.
Juice Plus real food!
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