RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Saturday is National Honeybee Day and the Bayer Bee Care Program is celebrating the recent good news about honeybees which suggests bees are rebounding when compared to previous years. Honeybees have a tremendous impact in our lives, backyards and communities, including pollinating many of the fruits and vegetables we love to eat. Without them, feeding our families and growing beautiful gardens would be a bigger challenge. On this National Honeybee Day, there is good news on bee health:
- Honey bee populations are stable or increasing globally;
- After a long winter, hives on two continents were stronger than in previous years;
- The President started an initiative to find ways to improve honey bee health; and
- New public/private partnerships are addressing forage and nutrition challenges.
Even with this good news, there remains much work to do as bee experts agree that honeybee health is affected by many stressors. From a lack of food and heavy workload while being trucked from coast to coast pollinating crops to diseases and deadly pests, honeybees are constantly facing obstacles. There’s even the deadly Varroa mite, which has been called “the single most detrimental pest of honeybees” because it sucks their blood just like a giant tick and can ultimately destroy an entire colony. Honeybees are vital to our agriculture and urban landscapes, and it is important that they stay strong. You can do your part too! Plant a bee-friendly garden to give honeybees food to eat and share the importance of honeybees with your neighbors and friends. Keeping bees healthy takes everyone working together to find solutions. For additional information and background on other sustainability initiatives, click here.
