Thursday, August 15, 2019

JUST BUZZING BY








When I was a little girl my grandmother lived in an old house with a tall chimney, although it wasn’t used because the fireplace had been closed up.  However, the honeybees sure loved that old chimney.  It seems that just about every summer they would build a big hive in there…you could see the bees constantly buzzing around it.  Granny’s yard was where I got my first bee sting…ouch!
Honeybee Hive in Nature

I’ve been hearing and reading a lot lately about the possible demise of honeybees.  It seems they are disappearing at alarming rates…and that is NOT a good thing.  Although, the honeybee isn’t on the endangered list (several kinds of bees are), many people still believe that they soon will go extinct.  And if that happens, our planet will be in a big old mess!  One source I found said that one-third of the food we eat depends on bees and their pollination.  Another source upped that to 90%, and still another source said that about 75% of all the fruits, nuts, and veggies we eat in the U.S. depend on bees for pollination.  I don’t know which is correct, but any way you look at it…BEES ARE IMPORTANTBees take care of our gardens and some of our fields so we need to take care of the bees.


What can we do to help????  Well, there are actually several things including:

*DON’T SWAT AT THEM!  Most bees will not bother you if you don’t bother them, so just get out of their way and they’ll probably get out of yours.



*Try to use NATURAL methods of killing weeds, etc. in your garden.  Pesticides are one of the biggest reasons we are losing so many of our bees.
*Plant flowers, bushes, etc. that attract bees.  The kinds you plant will depend on what area of the country you live in, but some plants that cause bees to dance the HAPPY DANCE are:  butterfly plant, yarrow, pansies, peonies, milkweed, bee balm, lavender, phlox, marigolds, zinnias, and many others.


*Make a BEE BATHBees need a water source, but it needs to be shallow.  A birdbath won’t do…the birds probably don’t want to share anyway. 


*EDUCATE your children.  Read them books and show them pictures to help them learn all about bees and how to care for them. 

*Buy raw honey from local beekeepers.  It helps their pocketbooks, of course, but it also enables the beekeepers to continue keeping up their colonies.


*You can also provide this type of home for some types of bees.  Just go to Pinterest or Google for more info.

Pinterest

*And one more thing…I thought this was interesting & informative.  Have you ever found a bee just laying on the ground?  You can tell it’s not dead but you aren't going to give it CPR!  Well, you can do something that’s just as good for the bee.  More than likely the bee isn’t injured, it’s just tired!  So instead of that CPR, run in the kitchen and mix 50/50 solution of sugar & water and place a drop or two in front of the bee.  Hopefully it will have the good sense to say thank you and take a sip.  This should reenergize the bee and allow it to fly off and get on with his day😊


Have you ever wondered how honeybees live and what they do…besides gather pollen and make honey?  After reading a few interesting articles I found out that bees sleep, poop, eat, and share a home with its family…sounds like us, doesn’t it???  
2 Bees Sleeping in a Flower

Well, now that I’ve educated you a little on honeybees, I thought I’d share some cute things I’ve found in case you’d like to do some “bee-utiful” decorating in your home.

Wouldn’t this rug look great in a bright sunroom?

wayfair.com

And this cute pillow would put a pop of spring in any room.


These painted Mason jars would look cute in a baby’s nursery or in a bright yellow kitchen.
etsy


And this adorable teakettle would bring a smile to my face first thing in the morning….well, once I’ve crawled out of bed and gotten over the morning grouchies😊

You could also share your love of bees by wearing this cute tee-shirt.  This would be a good reminder to me to LET IT BEE!!!  (I sometimes need to remember that…I can be like a dog with a bone about some things!)
etsy

And the message on this bright & cheerful tumbler is one we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

I do love these a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e cupcakes…so cute for a brunch or a child’s bee-themed birthday party.


But what I really, really, really wanted to share with you (I get a little over-zealous) are these cute BEE BUTTS.  Evidently bee butts are a popular thing to photograph…just Google it and you will see what I mean.  If these don’t make you smile, you really are a grouch in need of smiley pills.



So….I just thought I’d BEE thoughtful and share some of my un-BEE-lievable finds about those little buzzers that help make our world a better place.  Let’s all remember to BEE kind to the BEEs....and to each other.
PLEASE!

19 comments:

  1. Honey, YUM. My great-nephew has beehives and makes honey to sell! This post makes me want some, thanks for that! Love your collection of BEE pics:) Have a BEE-utiful day dear friend, HUGS!

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    1. I'm told if you intake some "local" honey it will help with allergies. I need to try that. So thankful for all our beekeepers.

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  2. So glad you buzzed by with this post. Great blogging. I agree, I don't see a lot of bees anymore other then the ones I want to kill and that is the carpetener bees that keep drilling holes in my shed. However, I leave them alone.

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    1. We had a problem with carpenter bees for a few summers but then they went away and we never saw them again. Hmmm...wonder where they went??? Glad they didn't come back though as they were boring holes in the side of the house!!!

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  3. I'm terrified of bees, I have been stung so many times and I always have a problem. However, the prospect of no bees is even scarier.

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    1. I have been stung by wasps more than bees. Every summer we tend to have a lot of wasps and they are so good at hiding their nests!!!! Definitely hurts but thankfully I'm not allergic to them. Guess bees are like a lot of other things in life...a rose has its thorns, the rain has its storms, etc., etc.:)

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  6. My hubby has wanted to get hives and keep bees. I agree that we need to everything we can to preserve them and help them but I'm not too sure about having a bee hotel! Ha! We'll see if he ever does it. I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy the honey from my hunny!

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    1. I know...it's one thing to want to protect them but another to want to attract them! I really do hope though that more people will begin to understand the need to protect them.

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  7. An absolutely adorable post about bees, Cheri, Thanks for all the information! I love honey bees, we had a bee hive, but something happened to ours, they just left the hive.
    Love all the pretties you have shared, especially the bee buts. Have a great weekend.
    Sue

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    1. Thank you so much, Sue! And I too have to admit my favorite part was the bee butts:) I couldn't believe how many photos I found of them!!!

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  8. Well, that was quite the education for sure. I didn't know most of that. And, I do love that bee pillow! Happy weekend!

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    1. I love that bee pillow too! If it would match anywhere in home I'd try to order it!

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  9. I stay far away from bees...lol. I've been stung way too many times for comfort; however, I do appreciate their contribution and we love honey! :-) Hugs!

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  10. Oh, believe me...I stay as far away as possible when I see one. Being stung is NOT a fun experience!!!!

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