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 IMPORTANT.  Bees 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 BATH.  Bees need a water source, but it needs to be shallow.  A birdbath won’t do…the birds probably don’t want to share anyway. 

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*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

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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?

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

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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😊

teakettle

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.

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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.

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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.

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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!