Protecting Pollinators: How to support bee habitats

Around 75% of flowering plants need to be pollinated to produce their seeds and that includes about 35% of the crops people harvest and eat around the world.

The best-known pollinator is the honey bee, which we love dearly for their beeswax + Honey, which we use in our products + treatments. Not only do we love bees for their honey and wax, but also for the irreplaceable role that bees play in our environment and food system. Bees not only pollinate crops, they also produce six hive products – honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and venom – all collected and used by people for various nutritional and medicinal purposes.

Over the past 15 years, bee colonies have been disappearing in what is known as the "colony collapse disorder.” Some North American regions have seen losses of up to 90%.The bees need our support and one of the ways to do that is to plant your own pollinator garden.

Other pollinators include butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, beetles and hummingbirds. Many of them are facing hard times in Canada and around the globe. But they can live and prosper in our yards if we protect their habitats. Here are some ways to make your garden pollinator-friendly:

• Opt for native plants: Native plants include flowers, shrubs and trees. Native plants are well acclimated to our growing conditions and require less care.

• Favour groupings of native plants: Flower groupings of 3-5 are attractive to pollinators because they need less energy to forage for a variety of pollen and nectar.

• Go chemical-free: Avoid using pesticides and herbicides in your gardens as they are deadly for the pollinators.

• Add a water source to your garden: Adding a water source helps to support and protect other species. All living things need water to survive. Just make sure to clean out your water source regularly to prevent algae or mold.

• Turn off garden lights at night: Nocturnal pollinators, insects and animals need all of us to turn off our lights to encourage them to thrive.

We believe in supporting these invaluable resources and have decided to support Bee City Canada in their mission to inspire cities, towns, First Nations, schools, businesses and other organizations to take action to protect pollinators. They offer resources and education to support creating regenerative habitats, cultivating native plants in your area, and sustaining a thriving pollinator population in your area!

We're proud to support Bee City Canada, a Canadian charity that inspired cities, towns, First Nations, schools, businesses, and other organizations to take action to protect pollinators. Learn more about their work or access their resources on pollinators at beecitycanada.org.