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Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability.1. Why bees are critical for achieving sustainable development.  Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment - This article explores bees' contributions towards achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are the blueprint for achieving a better, more sustainable future for all people on the planet. The …

Just as you winterize your home to make it more efficient, you can do the same for your garden. Properly winterizing your garden will not only help your plots rejuvenate naturally but will reduce the amount of work you'll have to do in the spring, allowing you to jump right into the fun part, PLANTING! Before we jump into our tips, we know you may wonder if sustainable gardening is essential for small backyard gardens. Using sustainable gardening practices, we become examples for future gen …

Imagine a scenario in which a terrible avian virus sweeps through North America, decimating the poultry industry. Ranchers lose tens of thousands of chickens, and many leading poultry operations go out of business. Chicken and egg prices skyrocket, causing many restaurants and bakeries to close down. Even in this scenario, however, I would not expect to see “save the birds” bumper stickers, articles in leading magazines discussing “a world without birds”, or environmental preservation agencies c …

Crown Bees cares about sharing what we learn about solitary bees. For that reason, the founder and owner of Crown Bees is readily available to national podcasters, news and video production crews, researchers and authors. Recently the video producers at One Tree Planted conducted an interview with Dave Hunter, owner of Crown Bees, at Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center in Washington State. One Tree Planted is an environmental charity "dedicated to making it easier for individuals and busi …

Messing with the microbes within their hive-stored pollen hurts bumblebees Of the 20,000+ bee species on Earth, only about a dozen are used by farmers in commercial agriculture, and these crucial populations of managed bees have been declining at an alarming rate. Several factors, including increased use of pesticides, habitat fragmentation, emerging diseases, and reduced genetic diversity may be responsible for such bee losses. In response to this pollinator crisis, recent conservation effort …