Did you know that almost 90% of wild plants and about 75% of leading global crops depend on animal pollination? These stats show just how important pollinators are to our every day life and survival — especially the bee! Every year on May 20, we celebrate World Bee Day to bring attention to the importance of bees for our ecosystems. Unfortunately, we also need to use this day to raise awareness for the so-called pollinator crisis, which leaves many bee species increasingly endangered to extinction. Urbanisation, climate change and pesticides used in modern agriculture are only a few of the reasons why bee losses all over the globe have drastically increased. Given the fact that bees are a vital guarantor of our own survival and the functionality of our ecosystems, we need to take action to provide protective spaces to ensure their survival — saving the bees means saving the world.
For today’s blog post, celebrating World Bee Day, we want to talk about five ways you can help to save the bees!
1. PLANT A BEE GARDEN
If you have a garden, a balcony or even just a window box, you can create a safe habitat for bees to rest and recharge. Visit your local flower store and keep your eyes out for bee-friendly plants, which can provide an important food source for our little friends. Open flowers with a visible centre part are usually perfect for bees and make pollen and nectar accessible for them. Lavender, for instance, will not only bring joy to you with its vibrant purple colour and wonderful scent, but will provide a food source for all kinds of pollinators, including bees.
2. CREATE A BEE BATH
Drinking enough is of great importance to provide for our bodies and that also goes for bees. Especially in summer, when the temperatures are high, bees like getting refreshed. Place a shallow bowl filled with clean water outside, maybe put some stones in it for bees to sit on and you’ve created the perfect place for bees to take a refreshing drink.
3. ADVOCATE FOR MORE BEE-FRIENDLY SPACES
If you want to protect the bees and you think your community could be doing more, why not start an initiative that will create more bee-friendly spaces in the city? Perhaps there is a park near you that could plant a field of bee-friendly flowers. Or maybe you can start a tree-planting initiative, since trees represent the most nurturing nectar source for bees. No matter what you decide to do, taking action in your community to save the bees is an important step and will find you many local supporters who will appreciate your efforts.
4. BUY OR MAKE A BEE CONDO
One of the main reasons why bees are endangered is the lack of safe habitats. You can not only provide a safe space for bees by planting flowers or trees, but also by getting a so-called “bee condo”. These condos usually consist of small “apartments” in the form of tubes, where certain species of bees can reside. You can either buy one, or take on a fun DIY project to create your very own bee condo!
5. AVOID USING CHEMICALS
Chemical pesticides, fertilisers, herbicides and neonicotinoids disturb a lot of animal’s sensitive systems, including bees. By keeping your garden or plants chemical-free and using sustainable, natural alternatives instead, you can make a considerable change for the environment and the bees. Composting, for instance, can not only help you recycle, but most importantly creates a sustainable fertiliser that will keep your soil and the animals living in it healthy!
When bees are around, it’s a sign for well-functioning and healthy ecosystems. We all need to take action to protect pollinators that will not only keep our ecosystems healthy and functioning, but will most importantly provide for our own future and the future of generations to come.
Little actions can go a long way. With every order on our website, FabRap plants a tree with our certified planting partner C-Free. Since trees can provide hundreds — or even thousands — of blossoms for bees to feed on, we are taking action to save the bees with each order made :)
Happy FabRapping!