As we know, our pollinators are playing crucial role in food security and conservation of biodiversity. Through pollination, they help plants to grow, breed and produce food. Still every year, a chunk of honey bee colonies die because of a combination of loss of habitat, poor beekeeping practices and decreasing crop diversity.
How to help and save bees and other pollinators
Here are some ways and ideas to help bees and other pollinators;
1. Grow Bee-Friendly Plants:
Pollinators improve our diets by providing nutrient rich-foods. Provide bees food they like by planting native fruits & vegetable plants in your garden. Pollinators and plants have a mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationship, they need one another to survive and that’s why both evolved that way.
Native or local plants are the ones that will be most suitably adapted to native bees and other pollinators. We should always plant a diverse set of native plants which flowers at different times of the year this really can make a huge difference for pollinators.
2. Buy Raw Honey:
Buying raw honey from local market not only encourages the bee- keepers but also improves their livelihood. There are many local farmers and forest communities involved in sustainable beekeeping practices. That’s why by buying raw honey, beeswax or other bee products, directly from them help them enormously.
3. Create a Bee Water Fountain:
You can reward these hard working species by making a bee water fountain for them. These tiny creatures need water after buzzing around all day. Just place a clean, shallow water bowl, with rocks or sticks in it so that bees don’t drown. It’s the best way to give the bees a resting spot and some much needed refreshment.
4. Go Chemical- Free for Bees:
You should try to minimize or avoid the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides and fungicide in your gardens. These chemicals can kill pollinators and poison hives with contaminated nectar or pollen brought by bees from contaminated plants. Use natural solutions to pests for the plants in your garden.
5. Creating Good Habitat:
Our farming community can play a vital role in ensuring good population of pollinators just by creating a good habitat for them. This can be achieved by planting bee friendly fruits and veggies and leaving some areas of farm as a natural habitat. Also by adopting green and organic way of farming, a farmer can boost numbers of pollinators.
Spread Awareness about Pollinators, You can also be an Advocate for Bees!
