{"id":136965,"date":"2019-05-10T15:54:09","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T13:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/keep-your-garden-buzzing\/"},"modified":"2019-05-10T15:54:09","modified_gmt":"2019-05-10T13:54:09","slug":"keep-your-garden-buzzing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/keep-your-garden-buzzing\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Garden Buzzing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keep Your Garden Buzzing<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\"\"National Bee Day \u2013 Monday 20 May 2019<\/p>\n

You need bees, your garden needs bees \u2013 if we are all to eat and survive, the world needs bees! Why? Because these busy little creatures are the pollinators of more than a third of all our food crops and about 90% of wild flowers, ensuring they survive, thrive and flourish.<\/p>\n

However, at home and abroad, bee populations are on a rapid decline. So with World Bee Day coming up May 20th, here\u2019s what you can do to SAVE THE BEE. First and foremost, make sure that your garden, potted patio, balcony or yard is filled with the plants that will supply them with what they need \u2013 forage or bee food. For bees, their forage or food supply consists of nectar and pollen from blooming plants within flight range. The forage sources for honey bees are an important consideration for beekeepers. If you\u2019re not sure which plants are bee-friendly, download Candide, the FREE, social and eco-conscious gardening app that will tell you which plants are most bee-welcoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s one species more than any other that you\u2019d call the gardeners best friend \u2026,\u201d says Candide\u2019s Shani Krige, \u201c\u2026 it\u2019s the bee. Through their intuitive cross pollination system they keep alive a whole range of plants from flowers and shrubs to vegetables, herbs and trees. And it\u2019s this variety, this biodiversity that creates a healthy environment that can support all living things \u2013 great, small and tiny. In Nature everything is connected one way or another and the bee is the single most vital connector.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Krige there are many plants that bees love, often with brightly coloured and scented flowers. \u201cOn the app, in the DISCOVER section you\u2019ll find information about the best bee attracting plants to have in your garden, starting with Aloes, Vygies, Daisies, Proteas, Ericas, Cape Honeysuckle, Plectranthus, Sagewood, Sweet thorn (Acacia), Lavender and Rosemary,\u201d says Krige.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also find lots of bee facts, learn how to make a bee Bait box \u2013 and meet a whole community of local and international bee-minded people. \u201cYou may even already have a selection of bee-friendly plants in your garden, if you\u2019re not sure, use our newly developed Plant ID function in the Knowledge section of the App to find out,\u201d adds Krige.<\/p>\n

BUSY BEES<\/p>\n

The decline in bee numbers also impacts the production of honey, that precious golden liquid beloved since the dawn of time for its healing and nutritious properties. But did you know, for instance, that in its lifetime one bee will make less than a quarter spoonful of honey, and to make a 450g jar of pure, raw honey, 60,000 bees would have to travel nearly 90,000 kms and visit more than 2 million flowers.<\/p>\n

So with honey consumption on the increase, we simply can\u2019t afford to lose a single bee because each one is responsible for between 10 and 100 pollen foraging trips in one-day visiting up to a 5000 flowers. Plus the Queen Bee, while she doesn\u2019t actually move, does her bit laying up to 1000 eggs in 24 hours!<\/p>\n

So why are bees threatened? Many reasons, but mainly: habitat loss \u2013 as land gets developed, with it go many of the plants bees feed on; monocropping agriculture \u2013 bees thrive on variety; climate change \u2013 rising temperatures and fluctuating seasons mean flowers and bees patterns are out of synch; disease and viruses \u2013 such as American foul brood and Colony Collapse Disorder, and finally, increased use of pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified foods.<\/p>\n

LET\u2019S BEE FRIENDS<\/p>\n

But the real question is \u2013 what can you do to help SAVE THE BEE? South Africa’s organic gardening guru and best-selling-author Jane Griffiths has a beehive in her garden. “One of the benefits of having a beehive is knowing that I am providing a home to insects that are beneficial, not just to my garden but to the greater neighbourhood,\u201d says Griffiths. \u201cBees are crucial to our food chain, pollinating plants while they forage for nectar and pollen.”<\/p>\n

Here are a few simple ways that you too can help save our bees:<\/strong><\/p>\n