The new paperback edition of “A Spring Without Bees” is coming out in early May. It has a different cover–a little more to the point maybe than the hardcover one.
As not enough has been done to stop the use of neonicotinic pesticides like IMD and clothianidin as well as implementing natural solutions to deal with other causes and all other factors of honeybee die-off, it looks like another “Spring Without Bees”.
We have so much work to do this year!
California and the west coast are reporting heavy losses. In addition, the UK is having a huge problem with CCD. However, the Northeast United States is reporting fewer hive losses this spring than expected. We are located in Willow, New York and worked hard to build a network in our region and get the information out last year. Is this because of the book and the work we did in the Northeast last year? It is hard to say for sure, but we think so!
We have several regional events coming up in May to celebrate the paperback edition. Sign up for our email list if you would like to get the newsletter and calendar of events. I can also send you a beautiful flyer to post in bookstores or libraries if you ask for it. We hope you’ll take a vacation to the Catskills and come to one of these events. Michael Schacker has recovered enough to make short trips and might be able to attend some of the events. We would love to meet you!
This is going to be a critical year for saving the bees. We must reach out to all areas of the world and send messages to beekeepers, libraries, bookstores, agricultural departments, university research projects and the government at all levels. We’ve got to get the word out. One of the best ways to do that is to make sure the paperback edition of “A Spring Without Bees” is a success this year! For those interested, free review copies are available from the publisher. Contact: Bob Sembiante at robert.sembiante@globepequot.com 203-458-4555 These are for anyone wanting to write an article or review or do some other kind of project about the book.
Thanks for all your hard work and support everyone!
–Barbara, PlanBEECentral April 2009
Plan Bee Special Report will give you an idea how you can be part of Plan Bee. This report gives the major concerns and courses of action highlighted in Plan Bee, Chapter Fifteen of A Spring Without Bees. Whether it’s a simple action like getting rid of your toxic lawn chemicals and using organic lawn practices or petitioning the government to change, everyone will find out they can do something.
In addition, you will find out why reading the book can make you an expert “Bee Saver”.
We call the Linden Tree the “bee tree” because bees love the fragrant nectar from these large shade trees.Honey bees and wild bees prefer the Linden flowers, so having one in your yard might draw the bees away from polluted nectar sources.You can buy one from The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Tree Trust. The Linden tree you can purchase from them is quite affordable.While you’re at it, get a membership and get 10 flowering trees free! You can feed the bees with these as well.
Planting a bee garden is not hard। Just start with a variety of flowering plants, fruits, and vegetables, a diversity that will bloom throughout spring, summer, and fall. If you are in a city, use a window planter or your roof. The bees, assuming there are any left in your area, will arrive and feed on the nectar and pollen. And any garden vegetables, mints, or fruit will, in turn, be well pollinated for your efforts. Just don’t use any insecticides or herbicides! Learn how bees work with the physical and biological controls used in organic gardening.
Flowers that are blue, purple, and yellow especially attract bees, while flowers with no tubes or short tubes are easier for most bees to gather pollen and drink nectar। Daisies are good for bees, as are cosmos, zinnias, and dahlias. “Double” varieties, which have been bred to grow extra petals instead of anthers, make little nectar and so don’t generally make good flowers to plant. Plant “single” varieties only. Mints are excellent and provide leaves for sweet tea.
If many, many people create these bee oases all around their local area, a network of floral islands will flourish–an enormous help, as bees usually only fly two to three miles from their nest or hive। If people all over your state do the same, the network–and the bee population–grows. It’s not just the bees, either. Some insect pollinators, such as the monarch butterfly, migrate hundreds of miles along “nectar corridors.” They will be stopping at your pesticide-free floral island for a nectar break, along with migrating bird species. It’s organic fast food for wildlife tourists.
STEP #1 IN PLAN BEE: GET EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO PLANT A BEE GARDEN!
schacker
Planting a bee garden is not hard। Just start with a variety of flowering plants, fruits, and vegetables, a diversity that will bloom throughout spring, summer, and fall. If you are in a city, use a window planter or your roof. The bees, assuming there are any left in your area, will arrive and feed on the nectar and pollen. And any garden vegetables, mints, or fruit will, in turn, be well pollinated for your efforts. Just don’t use any insecticides or herbicides! Learn how bees work with the physical and biological controls used in organic gardening.