Save The Bees - Blog Posts

I finger painted a bee today and his name is sherman 🐝

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Gosh everytime I see this art I love it even more! ❤️🥰 You did such an amazing job with it!! I love that entire team there and would die for all of them. ❤️❤️❤️ - lots of love from Kurōbā Taiyō

I did some fun team artwork for a homebrew campaign my friend is running. Somehow my character (blondie on the left) managed to be the tallest at 5’03’’. All three of us are a magical girl team! My character is based around Alice In Wonderland, the one in the middle is based around bees! And the girl on the right is a plant race so she is very nature based. I love them all

vegans making honey a bee labour issue is the funniest thing imaginable because like, you picked the one animal that has already unionised

The 49th Earth Day is today! This year’s theme is Protect Our Species, so here’s an essay about 3 of the most endangered species in the world.

#1: Pangolins These little guys are the best. They eat insects with tongues longer than their bodies, and roll up into little scaly balls when afraid. In Malay, the word ‘penggulung’ fittingly means ‘one that rolls up’. There are 8 different species of pangolin; four are native to east Asia, and four to Africa. Every species is labeled either ‘vulnerable’ or ‘endangered’. In Africa, pangolin scales are used to attract potential lovers, and as medicine in China and other parts of Asia. The meat is considered a delicacy. These beliefs have created a vast illicit trade network of pangolin parts; the creatures themselves are being captured, killed, and cooked almost to extinction. Mother pangolins wrap themselves around their babies to protect them. But greater steps must be taken to save these mammals.

#2: Coral Reefs Not gonna lie: for the longest time, I thought coral reefs were big rocks at the bottom of the ocean, with maybe a few plants here and there. Turns out, corals, ancient organisms that are related to sea anemones, are a vital part of our oceans. An individual coral is called a pylop. A pylop will grow a calcium-based exoskeleton; when a colony of thousands of pylops do this together, it forms a coral reef. Coral reefs exist all over the world, and are home to thousands of underwater species. Fish, algae, plants and invertebrates all feed and shelter on reefs. They protect coastlines and contribute billions to ecotourism and fishing industries. But these homes are dying out. As the earth warms, so do the oceans. Changes in temperature and pH levels kill pylop by the thousands, leaving entire ecosystems bleached and dead. This leaves millions of other organisms homeless and with little food. Without coral reefs, the oceans would never be the same. And since 75% of the earth is covered in water, I think we should be worried about that.

#3: Bees Can’t really emphasize this enough guys: we need bees to live. These insects live all over the world in diverse climates, from African deserts to the Arctic Circle, but their hives and habitats are under attack. Bees pollinate plants, which helps them grow. Pollinated plants go on to produce food, medicine, and other natural wonders we use everyday. And we’re not the only ones; birds, bears, and dozens of other species rely on the bees’ work. Our use of pesticides make bees and other creatures sick. Invading bees’ habitats  leave less space for hives and less plants for them to pollinate. Climate change is, as always, a threat. Without bees, there would be no us. Let’s freaking save the bees y’all.

What you can do:

Reach out to organizations working to protect these species. Donate, volunteer, or simply read up!

Make sure to buy produce that wasn’t grown with pesticides.

Plant some flowers… Adopt a hive…

Reduce your carbon footprint: save the ozone and the reefs!

Always practice the rules of sustainably: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Thanks for reading, everybody. Happy Earth Day!

I hate to break it to you kids, but honey bees are invasive. They were brought to NA, they don't belong here. We don't need to save honey bees, we need to save our NATIVE bees. But native bees don't produce a humans commodity.

Scientific American

The Problem with Honey Bees

They’re important for agriculture, but they’re not so good for the environment

vegans making honey a bee labour issue is the funniest thing imaginable because like, you picked the one animal that has already unionised

for all of you guys getting anxious about the environment and pollution

y’all deserve to hear the good news too, and yes i fact checked these.

7 miles of habitat for bees will be planted in london

the biggest coal plant in north america has been converted to solar panels

roads in edinburgh will close once a month to help pollution

maine has banned styrofoam

new york city and los angeles have both made “green new deals”

The london marathon replaced 200,000 single use water bottles with seaweed water pods

the bees in notre dame survived the fire, and the roof could possibly built in a more eco-friendly way.

the population of flightless kakapos (a cool bird) is rising

the carbon emissions in the uk are the lowest they’ve been since 1998

Another large bee habitat (.5 mil acres) has been created

there is a robot that delivers young coral to help repopulate the great barrier reef

portugal plans to stop using plastic on fruit, vegetables, and bread by 2020

106 new species of bees have been discovered in australia since 2010

a group of Sikhs plan to plant 1,000,000 trees as a gift to the earth

disney has made a mickey-shaped solar farm

Morgan freeman turned a 124 acre ranch in mississippi to a bee habitat

China plans on making a “forest city” to help clean up their air

An increasing amount of countries and states are beginning to ban single use plastics.

A couple replanted a whole forest in brazil (2.7 mil trees) in 20 years, and the animals have come back to live there

The hole in the ozone layer is repairing itself more each year

China plans on spending 360 billion dollars to improve renewable energy and has scrapped plans for coal powered plants that were going to be built.

A national park has been built in the amazon (3.3 mil acres in peru) to preserve the rainforest

Ireland and the uk have declared a climate emergency

The guy who played aquaman (jason momoa) has spent 31,000 dollars to help clean up plastic

South korea is now recycling 95% of food waste

There is a cleanup campaign being planned for mt. everest

Puerto rico wants to use all renewable energy by 2050 and is setting official goals for that

Some schools have special water bottle fill-up stations that encourage you to use refill and reuse plastic bottles rather than throwing them out after one use, these are becoming more common.

9 endangered species are thought to make a comeback this year

20 countries in africa are planning to make a “green wall” of trees and plants that will span the width of africa to stop desertification

recently, a lot of volunteers and organizations are planting a ton of trees.

Awareness about the environment and climate change is growing super fast right now among people and countries, which will only help us

Most pollution is caused by like 100 companies, but a few of those (like pepsi) are trying to cut down on that.

if this stuff keeps happening things will get even better, and the only thing stopping us really are those big companies who don’t want to pay the money to switch to more eco-friendly energy sources. i know the media tends to cause fear and stress about this stuff for a lot of people, but there really is hope.

easy things we can do: 

Recycle 

Plant gardens in your yard for bees if you can

Participate in community volunteer things that plant trees and gardens

Theres this search engine called ecosia that plants a tree for every 45 searches you make, it has almost 2 mil users. 

Pick up trash if you see it when you’re at the beach or in nature

If you have a fair amount of money, consider donating some to trustworthy environmental organizations

Start using a reusable water bottle (like those ones at target) rather than relying on single use plastic ones.

Cut the plastic rings on plastic milk bottles. You know, the little spiky plastic ring near the cap. Birds get those things stuck around their neck and die, so cut them so that they can’t get stuck on a neck.

If you can afford it, get some of those reusable grocery bags and sue those. most grocery stores have them, and it saves a lot of waste.

how do u actually save bees?

BEES ARE UNICORNS!

Another White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus Lucorum) for you.

Bumblebees Leave 'Smelly Footprints' Behind on Flowers

Bumblebees mark the flowers they've visited with smelly footprints, and they can tell the difference between odors from family members' feet and those of strangers.

Bumblebees mark the flowers they’ve visited with smelly footprints, and they can tell the difference between odors from family members’ feet and those of strangers, researchers have found.

By sniffing out these dainty footprints, bumblebees can locate good food and steer clear of flowers whose nutrients have been depleted, the scientists reported in a new study.

“Bumblebees secrete a substance whenever they touch their feet to a surface, much like us leaving fingerprints on whatever we touch,” Richard Pearce, a scientist at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, said in a statement.

Continue Reading.

In the next 3 weeks, Canada will make a decision that could save the bees for good

We won't see another opportunity like this again. Let's seize it.

um guys?

canada is currently considering banning imidacloprid, which is apparently “one of the most widely used bee-killing pesticides in the world”. this seems pretty huge, so if you’ve got two seconds, add your name to the list! as of posting this link, they need just over 8,000 more signatures by february 21!

Bee butts, drive me nuts.

Busy bumbles.

Some shots I took of busy Nevada bees! 🐝

how could i kill the weeds

when i watch the bees frolick

among them?

small world

Ever wanted to know more about an animal? Curious about the nature that's all around you? The SNC's environmental experts have conversations with researchers from all over the field of environmental science to bring you fun facts and topics about the science that is happening around you every day!

Listen to our newest episode an interview on Beekeeping with Dr. Leo Gosser here: 

https://anchor.fm/snc-wild/episodes/Beekeeping-with-Dr--Gosser-e1080m1

Want to Save the Bees and eat cheese? 

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s how to entertain ourselves within the safety of our own home. Recreating some social favorites isn’t always easy, but here’s one thing that is: a wine tasting. Pair some of your favorite wines with a homemade charcuterie board!

Read more: https://sawgrassnaturecenter.org/2021/02/24/charcuterie-and-save-the-bees/

Got a nice video of a pollinator doing some pollinating. 

Can beer help save the bees? Check out this neat article we found: https://learn.kegerator.com/hops-help-bees/

Bees are necessary pollinators for our natural environment. Without them, majority of the plants we that produce oxygen we need to breathe wouldn’t be able to survive. A world without bees is no world indeed. 

As part of our efforts to help slow the alarming rate at which bees are dying out, the Sawgrass Nature Center is 4.5 acres of nationally certified wildlife habitat. Part of that means we host many pollinator gardens. We even have our own apiary. 

Check out how you can turn your backyard into a certified wildlife habitat here: https://www.nwf.org/garden-for-wildlife/certify

And stay updated with our social media to learn more about the SNC’s own beehives and gardens. 

Bumble bee Therian stimboard

ES|| Hoy es el día mundial de las abejas! Las abejas, junto a mariposas, polillas, avispas, abejorros, mosca abejas, hormigas, moscas y escarabajos (por decir algunos insectos, hay muchísimos más y muchísimas especies en cada categoría!!) son unas de las principales encargadas de la polinización de las flores, una función vital para la biodiversidad terrestre y para nuestra alimentación. Sin embargo, están desapareciendo! Un 40% de los polinizadores invertebrados, en particular abejas y mariposas, y un 17% de los polinizadores vertebrados, como los murciélagos y los pájaros, se enfrentan a la extinción. Esta cifra aun es más alta si pensamos en las islas. En Europa una de cada diez especies de abejas está en peligro de extinción. Este peligroso, devastador y triste declive se debe a varias causas como la pérdida y deterioro de sus hábitats, principalmente a manos de los humanos, las prácticas de la agricultura industrializada, como los monocultivos, el uso de plaguicidas y otros productos químicos, los parásitos y enfermedades, las especies vegetales y animales invasoras y los impactos del cambio climático como la subida de la temperatura que afecta a la floración de las plantas y la escasez de agua.. Pensemos en estos pequeños, pero importantísimos, seres adorables, que parecen pompones voladores, y cambiemos nuestros hábitos de consumo y de vida! Comprar y promover los productos no procesados, de temporada, ecológicos y de proximidad (a mi me encantan los proyectos de agricultura regenerativa), respetar sus hábitats, no caer en el monocultivo y plantar márgenes de flores nativas silvestres son algunos de los pequeños pasos que podemos seguir para ayudarlas.🐝☀️

EN|| Today is world bee day! Bees, along with butterflies, moths, wasps, bumblebees, bee flies, ants, flies and beetles (to name a few insects, there are many more and many species in each category!!) are one of the main characters in charge of pollinating flowers, a vital function for terrestrial biodiversity and for our food chain. However, they’re disappearing! 40% of invertebrate pollinators, in particular bees and butterflies, and 17% of vertebrate pollinators, such as bats and birds, face extinction. This figure is even higher if we think of islands. In Europe, one in ten species of bees is in danger of extinction. This dangerous, devastating and sad decline is due to several causes such as the loss and deterioration of their habitats, mainly at the hands of humans, the practices of industrialized agriculture, such as monocultures, the use of pesticides and other chemical products, parasites and diseases, exotic invasive plants and animal species and the impacts of climate change such as the rise in temperature that affects the flowering of plants and the lack of water. Let's think about these small, but very important, adorable beings, who look like flying pompoms, and let's change our consumption and life habits! Buying and promoting unprocessed, seasonal, organic and local products (I love regenerative agriculture projects), respecting their habitats, not falling into monoculture and planting borders of wild native flowers are some of the small steps that we can do to help this little fellows. 🐝☀️