This Bee Problem Has Me Worried

Bees are dying at an alarming rate. So much so that humans will die of starvation before global warming.

Did that get your attention?

I hope so.

Our local paper is doing a 4 part series on the bee problems that we're facing. Bees are dying like crazy from pesticides and also from a lack of food supply. Here in Minnesota farming is not what it used to be. One bee farmer even calls Minnesota the "Bee Killing Fields." Farmers used to have fields with all different crops and do crop rotations and now because it's all corn and soy, there's just nothing left for pollinators.

Corporate greed? Money, money, money? Our capitalist society seriously has me worried about our future.

In urban areas we go to the grocery store and see it fully stocked with food (from God knows where at this point...) and we can't actually SEE where our food is coming from.

But again, that's just for the people the buy fresh produce - so many people rely on convenience foods to feed their families (Kraft macaroni & cheese, skillet meals, canned foods, candy, pop, etc...). In just decades corporations saw a niche for convenience foods and filled it - with disgusting preservatives, loaded with sodium and artificial flavorings and artificial preservatives.

What happened to families to rely on processed foods?

Busy schedules? Finances?

I don't know.

But at this point I do know this - something needs to be done. Something needs to happen to save the bees.

And I don't know what to do.

I know that I can help by planting native plants like bee balm, native lilies, butterfly weed, and milkweed. I know that I can help by buying organic food. I know that I can help by growing as much food as I can for my family. And I know that I can help by not using pesticides in my yard.

Are those enough changes to make a difference?

No, it's not. I can't change a whole country's worth of bee population in my 1/8 of an acre yard.

More people need to help. More people need to stop using pesticides on their lawns. More people need to buy more organic produce. More people need to be educated about pollinators. More people need to plant more native plants in their yards.

But how do you change people's minds when they can't actually see what's happening?

Maybe grocery stores can pull pollinated produce from their shelves for awhile to make an impact.

I think there needs to be a "Save the Bees" something-or-another campaign. With a mind blowing explanation of what will happen to our food supply without bees.