WHAT CAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW TO BRING BACK THE BEES?

LOTS!!  First of all read Michael Schacker's very engaging and entertaining book, A Spring Without Bees.  Schacker is an investigative science writer and founder of The New Earth Institute, a lifelong learning institute on the internet.

Then Take Action with PLAN BEE!  visit  www.PlanBeeCentral.com  You'll find updated information on the research being done and many suggestions for taking action in your own life. 

Plant a bee garden, even in a window box--you'll find directions at Plan Bee website above.

Learn how to keep bees yourself--you'll be surprised to hear that they thrive even in the city. 

Go organic in whatever ways you can and especially right in your own backyard...If you treat your lawn or garden with anything to control insects or fertilize, be sure that you are choosing the organic bee and bird friendly alternative.  And if you hire someone to do it, check out the book for the right questions to ask.  There are no guidelines for the use of the word "organic" in regard to lawn care so you might not be getting what you think you are paying for. 

There are many, many more suggestions in the book and on the website.  This could be one of the most important steps you take to protect your health, the health of your loved ones and your pets. and even future generations...

Michael Schacker explores all of the current theories around CCD and gives us the research that's been done.  Not enough, one might think,  but the questions is, do we have more time to wait?  At the end of his own book, Schacker quotes Rachel Carson  from the end of Silent Spring published 45 years ago, 

"We stand now where two roads diverge...the road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy....The other fork of the road, the one 'less traveled by' offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of our earth.  The choice, after all is ours to make....A truly extraordinary variety of altenatives to chemical control of insects is available...They are biological solutions based on understanding of the living organisms they seek to control....Only by taking account of such life forces...can we hope to achieve a reasonable accommodation between the insect hordes and ourselves."

I challenge you to read Michael Schacker's book and explore the paradigm shift that he perceives will be necessary to avoid CCD and the implications he sees that it has for the human world as well as the honeybees. 

WHY BUY LOCAL HONEY??                                                                  Save the American Honey Bee...BUY LOCAL HONEY!!!

Honey is a powerful immune system booster.   It actually contains bits and pieces of pollen. Allergies can arise from continuous over-exposure to the same allergens. Eating a couple of teaspoons-full per day of honey made by bees working in the area where you live for several months prior to the pollen season will often prevent allergic reaction to the pollens it contains.  This is not to suggest that local honey will replace allergists.  It just makes sense to try this quick, safe and inexpensive solution before going to the expense of immunology injections.

(Information based on the work of Thomas Leo Ogren www.allergyfree-gardening.com

WHY DOES HONEY GRANULATE? 

All pure honey naturally granulates.  Sometimes it takes weeks other times several years.  This does not damage the honey.  Honey never spoils!  To liquefy, place the container in very hot but not boiling water and let stand.  Do not place in the microwave.

HONEY contains vitamins, minerals and amino acids.  Researchers have also discovered that honey contains antioxidants—which combat free radicals that can damage cells—as many antioxidants as spinach, apples, oranges or strawberries.

WHAT HAPPENS TO WILD HONEY BEES WHEN THEIR TREE IS CUT DOWN

OR THEY HAVE TO BE REMOVED FROM  A HOUSE?

"It Takes a Beekeeper" Al Wilkins of Middleton

I recently received a call from a tree service worker contracted with the Town of Danvers to remove dead trees.  I'm on the Town of Ipswich Planning Board and had volunteered to be the contact for the tree service we hired in case a nest of wild bees was found while they were working so he must have gotten my phone number from them.  After going down the list of people listed on the Essex County Beekeepers Association website I was fortunate to find Al Wilkins home and ready to go right out.  The tree in question was near a park where kids were enjoying a summer day so it really was an emergency to be dealt with by a pro. 

Here are the photos Al sent: me:

Al Wilkins in protective clothing as the crane positions parts of the tree on trailer.  Parts of hive and honeycomb above.

The bees and hive were relocated to Wilkin's Middleton property.  Some were gathered with a specially designed vacuum.  No one was stung!!  You can visit Al's website at www.alsbirdsandbees.com.  He's definitely the one to call if you need to have honeybees removed from a dead tree or anywhere in side your home.  The sooner the better as it is more difficult to remove them once the Queen has laid her eggs.  You can reach Al Wilkins at 978-273-8068.

FUN FACTS:

HONEY is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water. HONEY has antibacterial properties so it actually kills germs in the mouth and can be used as a mouth wash.  Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with a cup of warm water. HONEY speeds the healing process and combats infections.

HONEY is an effective expectorant, even more effective than DM cough medicine in treating colds.  (Info from the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.   Honey is safe for children over 12 months old but it can be very dangerous for infants under a year old.

Honeybees have remained unchanged for 20 million years although the world has changed around them!!

We can thank the honeybee population for every third mouthful of food we eat.  Without their pollination, many of our agricultural crops would not be availble.

HONEY FOR ENERGY:  Many pregnant women are packing a few honey sticks into their labor bags.  This small amount of honey provides much needed energy without overloadiing the digestive tract.

Dressing for wounds:  Honey is useful applied externally in a thin layer and covered with a sterile bandage.  It contains 'inhibine' a germ-killing substance , it also draws excess water from the tissues and reduces swelling.

ANTIBIOTIC PROPERTIES:  Thousands of years ago, honey was valued for its healing properties.  Despite a rich history of medicinal use, Western medicine has only recently begun to investigate the healing potential of honey.  Studies are now being conducted to test the efficacy of using honey to treat open wounds and to test its antibiotic properties in the treatment of chronic sinusitis.  (Consult the March 2009 issue of Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing and watch the medical news for breaking stories.