Last night I went to see Vanishing of the Bees a new film that has been supported by the Co-operative. The film investigates the plight of the bee with particular focus on colony collapse disorder that has decimated bee communities across the United States. Worryingly similar symptoms are also being detected in bee hives all over the world, including here in the UK. The film is beautifully made but also terrifying at the prospect of what will happen if we don't do something to protect out bees. What the film really showed me is how important gardeners and allotment holders now are to help save the bee. Providing that we haven't left it too late to halt this devastating collapse in their communities....
The film made me really sad at the mess that we are making of our planet, and that many people seem determined to continue making, but it also prompted me to have a think of what we can all do to make the world into the kind of place that bees are able to live a happy and prosperous life. Here are some things that I will be doing to help them and I hope you will be able to do some of them too:
- Only buy food that is seasonal - the pesticides and industrial farming used to grow crops out of season are bad news for the health of bees (and probably for our own health too)
- Buy food from local farmers where possible to support a diverse plant ecology that bees love and to support your local farming infrastructure.
- Only buy British honey to support our beekeepers.
- Buy organic were possible and campaign for better research into pesticides and the effects that they have on eco-systems.
- Try and have flowers in your garden as much of the year as possible so that bees always have something to eat. Here's a list of what they really like.
- Think about keeping bees yourself.
I was wondering where you had found the bee mosaic. I didn't know that the bee was the emblem of Manchester.
Posted by: Jo | October 21, 2009 at 04:48 PM