“As sweet as honey” is a phrase that you’ve probably heard a million times. Where’s the lie? Honey is sweet! Most households use honey as a sweetener for many foods but it also has a variety of other uses. For years, the honey bees hives have provided us with honey and bee wax.
National Honey Bee Day is an awareness day recognized by the United Nations where honey bee enthusiasts, connoisseurs, and bee keepers come together to celebrate the honey bee.
Honey bees are quite interesting creatures! Here are some what the fun facts about them:
- They have 5 eyes.
- They have existed for about 30 million years!
- The main form of communication amongst honey bees is through chemicals called pheromones.
- Each bee has about 170 odorant receptors, which translates to them having an amazing sense of smell, which aids them in recognizing different types of flowers when looking for food.
National Honey Bee Day is also a day to highlight the challenges facing the honey bee and what we can do to help. Over the years, the bee population has declined over the years on a worldwide scale.
Some of the threats facing the bees include:
- Pesticides can effectively keep bugs away from gardens and crop fields. Unfortunately, more toxic pesticides are constantly being used by farmers. Pesticides, especially the kind that linger on plants and in the soil, act as poisons that contaminate the pollen that honey bees collect from your garden to feed the rest of their hive. Even if this contamination is nonlethal, it can still negatively affect the honey bees’ ability to forage for food, defend their hive, and fight off diseases.
- The loss of pollinator habitats has caused a significant decline of the honey bees. Commercial agriculture, urban and suburban expansion, and other development projects have led to the destruction of natural plant life. This leaves honey bees with fewer sources of food and water as well as fewer safe spaces to make their hives.
Bees are so helpful to us and we need them not just for their honey but for their pollinator abilities.
As we celebrate National Honey Bee Day, let’s spread awareness on the impact of human actions on the bees.
To celebrate and show support on this day, you can also:
- Plant a bee garden
- Use organic products for your garden
- Plant trees for bees
- Support local beekeepers and organizations
At Ocean Sole, we make bee sculptures in large sizes to help tell the story of the bee and highlight the threats facing them.
A large bee sculpture requires:
- 22 Flip-Flops
- 12 hours of work
- 1 artisan
Shop here for our bee Flip Flop art!
As you enjoy the benefits of honey, kindly let’s remember to help save and protect the bees who make it! Be their voice and spread the message this National Honey Bee Day!
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Email hello@oceansoleafrica.com for custom projects, creative ideas, or just to see how to stay connected & get involved with our mission!
Written by: Maureen Simba
