Help the Honey Bees!

Help the Honey Bees!

The Honey Bee is Disappearing! Shortly after I started learning about beekeeping I was exposed to a frightening reality called Colony Collapse Disorder.  If you’re new to this phenomenon or you would like to get more information Wikipedia has a pretty good page giving the major points of how it affects honey bees, why experts believe its happening and how it is effecting you personally right now!  I’ve provided a link to the page here:  Colony Collapse Disorder Information.

What Best Honey Site is Doing to Help the Honey Bees

Well aside from keeping our own bees, we’ve decided to put our money into the effort of fighting Colony Collapse Disorder.  More specifically, we have decided that we will donate 5% of every dollar we earn on Best Honey Site to one of a few organizations who are leading the research of CCD and working to find a cure.  The organizations we have selected to donate to are as follows:

• Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences – Penn State’s Agricultural Department has long been a leading researcher of honey bee biology and diseases.  They are one of the most active research sites dedicated to finding a cure for Colony Collapse Disorder.
• The University of California at Davis – The Harry H Laidlaw Jr. Research Center is probably the largest research center and honey bee biology facilities in the country.  They have a large program dedicated to CCD research and efforts to educate the public about honey bee related issues.

Stay tuned as we’ll be posting updates on our donations periodically and giving updates on the progress toward finding a cure for this terrible disease plauging our little friends.

Why YOU should help the Honey Bees

Yes, I’m talking to YOU!  Yes, YOU we need you to give back to the honey bee!   Because you’re visiting our site I can automatically assume a couple of things about you:

1. You are a lover of honey or you know someone who is. This one is pretty elementary but let me lay it out anyway:  No Honey Bees, No Honey! There aren’t any other insects making honey and the other bee products you enjoy.  When the honey bee is gone so is the honey.
2. You’ve eaten a meal in the last month or so. This one isn’t quite as obvious to many people:  No Honey Bees, Little to No Pollination! Yes its true that the honey bee isn’t the only insect that aids the pollination of the  flowers, trees, and other plants that make our lives better.  However, they are one of the biggest pollinators of these plants and in some cases they are the EXCLUSIVE pollinator.  Without this service we would not have fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, some medications, and a host of other items that we are accustomed to.

Both of the above reasons should give you plenty of motivation to give a little back to a little insect that gives you so much every day.

What YOU can Do to Help the Honey Bees

In short, there are a couple of small things that you can do to help save the honey bees from this terrible problem.  Plus when you help the honey bee you are also helping yourself and your family because of the incredible services they perform and the wonderful products they produce!

1. Become a Beekeeper – When you start a bee colony you are helping to replenish the honey bee population in your community and if you become good at it you’ll even be able to expand the honey bee population in your area as your hives grow.
2. Buy Honey -  When you buy honey you support the beekeepers who are caring for the bees.  Often those beekeepers use a portion of the money they make to support the research of bee diseases.  When you buy honey from Best Honey Site you’ll be guaranteed that a portion of those funds will be used to support CCD research.
3. Buy Ice Cream – The Haagen-Dazs Company has developed a website dedicated to saving the honey bee.  You can donate and learn more about more about the issues and solutions surrounding CCD.