7 Simple and Practical Things You Can Do to Help Bees

7 simple things you can do in your garden or on your balcony.

Select plants native to your area. They will easily adopt to the weather conditions and bees will certainly appreciate them. They need appropriate nutrients the native species are bound to provide.

Bees are just like us – they get thirsty and can be clumsy at times. Insects need water to produce their ‘bee bread’ which is a mixture of pollen, water and enzymes that bees keep and ferment to feed the growing larva. Thanks to the objects floating on the surface bees can land and avoid drowning. To repel mosquitoes, replace the water at least once a week.

Leaving spoonful of water and sugar to feed bees is not quite a good idea. Never add sugar or honey to help the insects.

A great deal of research has proven that pesticides do severe harm to entire bee colonies, including extermination of queen bees. According to animal rights activists, any cut-down on products with pesticide use involved, helps bees. Not to mention the fact that buying pesticide-free stuff you can promote local organic farms.

As the population of bees is shrinking, it is also important that our households be also free from any pesticides.

Bees also dwell in urban environment. Just like anywhere else, the food they come across there is key to their survival. Plants taken care of with pesticides are really harmful for bees; even very small doses of the contaminated pollen might accumulate in hives, cause neurological problems and eventually kill off the entire colony.

As bees lose their natural habitats, their number is plummeting. That is why each new hive matters. They help them regenerate and rebuild the colony. You can buy a ready-made one or make one yourself!

Honey production is generally harmless for bees. The truth, however, is that since local beekeepers usually treat these insects in a more gentle and humanitarian way, you’d better go for their products instead of the supermarket brands.