With Growing Population Maine Is the Place to Be If You’re a Bee
The bee population just ain't what it used to be. No, really.
According to Green Peace, there are many elements that contribute to the declining bee population such as, "pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution, global warming and more." Green Peace also reports that the normal range of colony loss is approximately 5-10 percent but on the bad years 15-20 percent and here in the U.S. often reached 30-50 percent or more.
You might be thinking, "Ok, bees are dying. So what?"
Bees contribute a key role in things like pollination and crops. These roles outlined at PerfectBee.com. Plus, honey and wax products. Without bees, our fresh produce and honey industries may not be able to sustain demand.
So, how does Maine come into play?
Spring Hill Nurseries compiled USDA data on the best and worst places for bees in the United States are right now and Maine came out at #1 for the highest bee colony growth with 72.86% growth. Impressive!
New York Bee Sanctuary outlined 10 steps one can take to help save the bees. They include not using pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides on your plants, buy local and raw honey, and don't weed. I know, that may be difficult, but apparently, bees love a good dandelion!
Way to go, Maine! Now let's keep it up!