Without pollinators, the food supply as we know it will be no more.  And that my friends will have dire consequence for everyone’s health.

Who are the pollinators? Bees, bats, hummingbirds, butterflies, birds, beetles, moths and some flies.

What foods are pollinated by bees?  Apples, Avocados, Blueberries, Cherries, Apricots, Raspberries, Watermelon, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Almonds, Peanuts, Lentils, Legumes, Olives, Onions, Broccoli, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Melons, Carrots, Kiwi, Cucumbers, Cranberries, Celery, Cauliflower, Macadamia Nuts, Peaches, Sunflowers, Tangerines, Pumpkins, Squash, Peas, Cotton, Soybeans, Beets

What we do that endangers Pollinators:

• Using herbicides, pesticides. Direct exposure will obviously complete its intended effect, but also every time we use a pesticide or herbicide that makes contact with an insect, any bird or animal that then eats that insect will be ingesting the poisons also–and on it goes throughout the food chain.
• The government– instead of subsidizing biodynamic, organic, and family farmers, subsidizes conventional and GMO farmers that use disastrous amounts of these toxic chemicals
• GMO plants and crops are drenched in herbicides (glyphosate) that pollinators cannot tolerate. Glyphosate, the most popular GMO herbicide in the US is believe it or not directly responsible for reducing the bee population.

3 Characteristics of Colony Collapse Disorder

• Malnourishment: Glyphosate is a mineral chelator, that means it makes minerals unavailable, reducing bees as well as our ability to obtain the essential minerals necessary for health.
• Elimination of Good Stomach Bacteria: Glyphosate is an antibiotic that kills beneficial stomach bacteria in the bees and in us–in the bees it makes digestion impossible thus causing starvation.
• Glyphosate is a potent endocrine disruptor, causing hormonal imbalance and irregularities. In bees the endocrine disrupting effect is tied in with causing disorientation and confusion.
• See my video interview with the esteemed Dr. Don Huber and learn how glyphosate affects the bees.

How to help the Pollinators:

1. Avoid using pesticides & herbicides
2. Avoid using fertilizer containing herbicides (i.e. Weed and Feed varieties)
3. Plant flowers and plants that attract and support pollinators.
4. Here’s a handy helpful planting guide provided by Jenna Stevens and her mom Nancy: Creating Pollinator Gardens: Flower Fragrances to Attract Pollinators  (BTW, Thank you for the email, happy the info helped with your project:)
5. Provide fresh water outdoors, bees and birds need to stay hydrated too
6. See this planting guide for your part of the world
7. Learn more about the Bees and Pollinators

Thank you for caring.