I’m sure you have thought about where your food comes from. But, have you thought about HOW your food was created? Honeybees make the plant based foods we eat possible. Without them, our diets would be VERY different. About 80% of all flowering crops, about 1/3 of everything we eat, is made possible by the honey bee.
April is Earth Month. It’s only fitting that we talk about this little powerhouse that makes our world the colorful, vibrant place in which we live. I am partnering with Wedderspoon, a non-GMO verified company that produces top quality honey products including Manuka Honey. Honey is a natural sweetener that we use to sweeten iced tea, but also use it as a quick snack on the trail. Manuka honey is extra special because it has a host of health benefits. Wedderspoon is dedicated to providing quality products and educating consumers on the importance of protecting honey bees.
Here are a few tips that will help you protect honeybees in your own backyard and get a FREE printable pollinator scavenger hunt for the kids.
Protect Honey Bees in Your Own Backyard
Go Pesticide Free
Avoid spraying or applying pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides on your lawn or garden. Look for organic solutions to control weeds and insects. Ladybugs are a great addition to a garden, are fun to watch, and are effective insect hunters.
Plant a Bee Garden
Provide a variety of native bee-friendly flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and trees that will bloom at different times. This will provide food for bees throughout several seasons. Provide more flowers with single blooms like marigolds, daisies, zinnias, and bee balms versus double bloom flowers like double impatiens. Single blooms produce larger amounts of pollen and more food for honey bees and other pollinators.
Provide a Bee Watering Hole
In addition to plants and flowers, bees need a source of clean water. This could be a water feature in your garden or yard, a bird bath, small bowl of water, etc.
Support Companies that Support Bee Research
Wedderspoon partners with Rodale Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to organic farming research and outreach, to support their Your 2 Cents Program and the Honeybee Conservancy. The Your 2 Cents Program provides support for organic agriculture through education, research, and outreach. The Honeybee Conservancy began in 2012 after beekeepers saw a dramatic decline of North American honey bees. Each winter, Colony Collapse Disorder has been responsible for a 30% death rate in North American hives. The program is actively researching possible solutions and provides education and support to beekeepers around the country.
Learn More about Honey Bees and Other Pollinators
The best thing you can do to protect honey bees to learn more about them. Talk to your children about the importance of bees and other pollinators. Take them out the garden, a local park, or on a hike to discover pollinators in nature. When you get home, you can read books about bees, pollination, flowers, etc.
We created a fun Pollinator Scavenger Hunt for you to take on your next nature walk. You can use it anywhere from the backyard to the park. It can even be used at the local nursery inside your neighborhood home improvement store. Use it to find pollinators and pollen sources.
Click to get a PDF printable version
Additional ideas for this printable:
- I Spy…… a Honey Bee – Use as a guide to play a classic game of I Spy
- Photo Scavenger Hunt – Children can take pictures of the pollinators and plants they see on a hike.
You can learn more about Wedderspoon and it’s products on their website www.wedderspoon.com.
Jeffrey says
April 15, 2017 at 5:21 pmI learned that honey contains proteins, minerals and vitamins…sugar does NOT!
tina says
April 15, 2017 at 5:31 pm“Along with a native plant species, plant an herb garden with anything in the mint family, including perennial sages, and allow them to flower to really attract native bee species.” Will be doing this for my future garden. 🙂
Melissa says
April 15, 2017 at 6:08 pmI learned that honey kills most bacteria by crenation because of its sugar content.
Alison Coursey Watson says
April 16, 2017 at 8:47 amIt’s amazing that a honeybee travels 55,000 miles to make one pound of honey! We are planting bee balm this year to help!
Geoff says
April 16, 2017 at 12:00 pmI learned that “honey has a lower Glycemic Index than table sugar. This simply means that the sugar in honey is absorbed into the bloodstream more gradually.” Interesting!
Rosie says
April 19, 2017 at 3:47 pmI learned Wedderspoon is the first NON-GMO verified Manuka Honey in the world. Also I learned honey kills most bacteria by crenation.
Amanda says
April 24, 2017 at 12:50 pmThat some hospitals now use honey. And that bacteria can’t survive because honey causes the cells to crenate, which i think is like dehydrating them. The more you know!
Kim says
April 26, 2017 at 4:52 pmBees remove the moisture content from the honey by flapping their wings. Organisms cannot survive without moisture so the honey is preserved indefinitely.
BusyWorkingMama says
April 26, 2017 at 9:26 pmI did not realize that bees needed a water source.
Cynthia C says
April 27, 2017 at 6:51 amI learned that numerous crops like apples, cranberries, melons, broccoli and almonds would cease to exist without the hard-working bees’ contribution to our food system.
Dana says
April 27, 2017 at 1:17 pmHoney can be preserved indefinitely!
Debbi Wellenstein says
April 27, 2017 at 1:25 pmI learned that European settlers introduced the European Honey Bee to New Zealand’s South Island.
angie w says
April 27, 2017 at 3:34 pmHoney bees perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide!
Lana simanovicki says
April 27, 2017 at 8:19 pmHoney has protiens
Kim O says
April 28, 2017 at 7:19 ambees fly 55,000 miles to make a pound of honey
accontests6 says
April 28, 2017 at 7:50 amHoney doesn’t expire because the bee’s wings remove the moisture.
Latanya says
April 28, 2017 at 8:51 amThe European settlers who colonized New Zealand introduced the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on New Zealand’s South Island after the New Zealand coast line was mapped by James Cook.
Darlene Carbajal says
April 28, 2017 at 11:10 amI learned that honey bees perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide.
Mary Beth Elderton says
April 28, 2017 at 12:34 pmHoney thousands of years old has been found perfectly preserved and edible!
Jen Dantuma says
April 28, 2017 at 1:50 pmThey are the first NON-GMO verified Manuka Honey in the world. Their business began in 2006.
Patty wright says
April 28, 2017 at 9:44 pmI didn’t know it had antibacterial properties.
wen budro says
April 28, 2017 at 10:37 pmI learned that honey has numerous important health benefits. I also learned how very important it is to protect our bees or there will be no more honey.
Laurie Nykaza says
April 29, 2017 at 1:51 amWedderspoon sources the finest and most pristine Raw Manuka that has antibacterial properties and Gourmet honey in the world.
Edye says
April 30, 2017 at 9:23 pmI learned honey has proteins!!! 🙂
Stephanie Phelps says
May 1, 2017 at 4:58 pmI learned that In contrast to pasteurized honeys, our raw honey also has naturally occurring live enzymes
DJ says
May 3, 2017 at 11:51 amHoney contains lots of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Pretty cool!
Jessica W. says
May 4, 2017 at 12:26 pmI learned that bees collectively fly 55,000 miles to make a pound of honey. Hard working little bees!
Julie Waldron says
May 5, 2017 at 4:10 pmI learned that honey has a lower Glycemic Index than table sugar.
tree tiemeyer says
May 5, 2017 at 8:12 pmi learned that KFactor™ is a holistic multi-stage authentication system named for the Key Factors inherent in this distinctive honey. i’ve always wondered what that stood for.
sheila ressel says
May 6, 2017 at 8:26 amI learned that honey kills most bacteria by crenation.
Nicole Sender says
May 6, 2017 at 1:03 pmI learned that honey contains proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Crissie woolard says
May 7, 2017 at 8:34 amI learned that bees collectively fly 55,000 miles to make a pound of honey. I guess that’s where the name busy bees came from! ??
Donna L says
May 9, 2017 at 10:36 amI learned the honey hoey has a lower Glycemic Index than table sugar. Good to know!
LeAnn Harbert says
May 9, 2017 at 8:18 pmHoney has been found that’s thousands of years old that is perfectly preserved and is still edible.
Pauly D Young says
May 10, 2017 at 6:39 pmI learned about all the Health Benefits from Honey. I use honey for everything. Cooking, Baking and in my Beverages.
Arik Issan says
May 11, 2017 at 7:04 pmColony Collapse Disorder is a big issue as honey bees perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide, providing crops for food.
John H. says
May 12, 2017 at 10:28 pmI learned that honey bees perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide.
Jennifer H. says
May 12, 2017 at 10:29 pmI learned that Numerous crops like apples, cranberries, melons, broccoli and almonds would cease to exist without the hard-working bees’ contribution to our food system.
Douglas Dunphy says
May 13, 2017 at 12:59 amI love “H o n e y”, can’t wait to see what you’re tastes like.
Brandy Jones says
May 13, 2017 at 4:17 amI learned you should avoid planting hybrid plants because they produce less nectar or pollen, therefore less food for the bees.
Kathy Pease says
May 13, 2017 at 9:21 amJust like humans, bees love diversity in their diet! Try to plant a varied selection of plants to supply pollinators with an abundance of pollen and nectar.
rosemary says
May 13, 2017 at 9:48 amwow
Sarah L says
May 13, 2017 at 2:20 pmRaw honey is simply honey that has been lightly filtered and gently warmed for creaming without pasteurization, and will contain naturally occurring bee pollen, beeswax, and propolis.
In contrast to pasteurized honeys, our raw honey also has naturally occurring live enzymes – and every jar is traceable back to the master beekeeper in New Zealand.
Thanks for the contest.
Lauryn R says
May 13, 2017 at 4:01 pmI learned that they get their honey from New Zealand. I bet it tastes amazing, I definitely need to try some! 🙂
Jana S says
May 13, 2017 at 6:10 pmI had no clue that bees liked a wide variety of things. Silly me assumed they were attracted to certain flowers,plants and trees. I myself plant a flower garden along with a vegetable and fruit garden and I can attest that I need the bees to cross pollinate my crops…I welcome the bees to my gardens 🙂
Laurie Emerson says
May 13, 2017 at 8:05 pmI learned that since 2006 beekeepers around the world have been reporting losses of 30-90% of their honeybee colonies.
Donna Kozar says
May 13, 2017 at 9:59 pmHoney has a lower glycemic index than sugar.
Rachel Elaine says
May 13, 2017 at 11:01 pmIt looks delicious would love to try it. Yummy