BEES

 In my early twenties, my uncle, an awesome farmer, took me to his farm. He grew fruits and vegetables and different kinds of chickens. It was the first time I ever saw chickens with bangs and crazy hair, they were weirdly beautiful. My uncles number one crop was watermelons. The sweetest and most juiciest watermelons ever.  We entered the greenhouse “tent”, he put on his reading glasses, picked just the right watermelon and banged it hard on the floor.  While it cracked in half, with his bare hands, he cracked it wide open and scooped out the heart of the watermelon, “Here, take” he said. It was the most delicious watermelon I have ever tasted. Even as our family would get fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm, tasting it off the vine was and is a totally different experience for your taste buds. He was in every way a professional farmer, he looked like a “professor”, the way he put on his glasses and checked every line of watermelons.  The way his hands and fingers had muscle like qualities. It was a clear picture of  a “human” living his G-d given gift in life.  As the lesson went on, he taught me how his watermelon grow, by introducing me to all the Bee hives he had around the farm. Every entrance from every direction of the greenhouse had two Bee hives. And as he continued with teaching me about how important the Bees are and how through pollination, they are the ones responsible for the growth of all the crops, I realized how  such a small animal is so important in the existent of human kind. From flower to flower pollinating while creating an abundance of fruits and vegetables. I was taught how to pick the perfect watermelon. As the watermelon grows from a pollinated flower, a leaf is seen attached to the connecting vine of the watermelon. Once the leaf is dry and brown the watermelon is perfect and ready to be picked.

As you read about Bees, you will discover that the Bees are one of the most important living beings on the planet. To keep it simple, yet “intensely” important, Bees pollinate approximate 90% of the worlds nutrition supply. One, just one!!!! Bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers a day…..woooohooooo.

So BEE -Careful and take a part in helping the Bees existence… In the simplest ways: planting beautiful Lavender, Rosemary, Calendula flowers and more. Create a simple Bees bath: Use a shallow bowl or a pot saucer ( the base dish for pots), put in rocks, stones, marbles, twigs or wine bottle corks so the Bees wont drowned or get their feet wet, they do not like it. Bees not only drink the water, they also gather water to take back to their hives and nests. Bees use this water to cool the hive, feed the larvae and dilute their honey. In addition, Bees also communicate to the other Bees where to find these water locations. You might even see butterfly’s and other animals gathering around for water. Pretty cool!

 In addition, don’t kill off any Dandelions.  It is considered a weed, which most gardeners will tell you, yet it is the Bees favorite flower, it is one of the first spring foods for Bees, providing pollen and nectar.  Did you know that Dandelions have so much more uses, like providing  vitamin A and C and more calcium and iron than spinach. Dandelions can be put in salads as the leafy greens, or made into a soup or jam. Very healthy as a tea, and it is even a traditional ingredient of root beer. It also is used for herbal remedies and so much more. AND how would our childhood and other children’s childhood be without wishing on a Dandelion……

 If you enjoy wearing cotton, know that the cotton plant your cotton threads came from was pollinated and visited by a Bee!

 There is a major decline in the Bee population, an insect so important to the human race, yet you don’t hear about it much.  Major factors in the decline is environmental and nutritional stresses due to habitat change and habitat loss and the pesticide poisoning that are applied to crop and weeds. Know that there are safer pesticides in the market that can be used, or you can always look into more natural ways.

Whatever we can do, a little here and a little there from each of us will, for sure, have an impact on the increase in the Bee population.