# Bees Are Our Friends  -  Without Them Our Planets In Trouble...



## SmoothSeas

During winter months there are fewer flowers and other sources of food for the bees.

Water is also scarce and so many bees drown as they try and drink from swimming pools.

Grate an apple and add some water in a bowl. The bees will be able to get the sugars from the fruit and drink the water and not drown as they can stand on the fruit pieces.

Our bee populations are threatened, let's give them all the support we can.


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## SmoothSeas

SmoothSeas said:


> During winter months there are fewer flowers and other sources of food for the bees.
> 
> Water is also scarce and so many bees drown as they try and drink from swimming pools.
> 
> Grate an apple and add some water in a bowl. The bees will be able to get the sugars from the fruit and drink the water and not drown as they can stand on the fruit pieces.
> 
> Our bee populations are threatened, let's give them all the support we can.
> 
> 
> View attachment 188440​




eta:  reminder to our members south of the equator, too...


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## SmoothSeas

Holland covers hundreds of bus stops with plants as gifts to honey bees...


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## SmoothSeas

​WHY HAS BEES BEEN DECLARED AS THE MOST VALUABLE LIVING BEING ON OUR PLANET?​The Apiculture Entrepreneurship Center of the Universidad Mayor (CeapiMayor) and the Apiculture Corporation of Chile (Cach) with the support of the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA), conducted a study where it was determined that *bees are the only living being that it is not a carrier of any type of pathogen,* regardless of whether it is a fungus, a virus or a bacterium.



The agriculture of the world depends on 70% of these insects, to put it more clearly and directly, we could say that *70 of 100 foods are intervened in favor by bees.*
Also *the pollination that the bees make allows the plants to reproduce, of which millions of animals feed,* without them, the fauna would soon begin to disappear.
The honey produced by bees, not only serve as food, but also provide many benefits to our health and our skin.


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...save our pollinators​


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## win231

Something is killing bees.  During summer, I find many bees in my driveway; both dead & dying.


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## Bellbird

Many bees die because of the toxic sprays that are used on plants. During the summer quite a few land in the swimming pool, obviously looking for a drink, I am always on the lookout for them.


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## palides2021

We have bees on our land, and we found a bees nest the other day in the back yard. I left it alone. Although I like what bees are doing to our agriculture, I am prone to getting bitten. Yep. So I'm always on the lookout. I found by wearing a certain color clothing, they don't attack as easily, but it might not be true.


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## SmoothSeas

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## RobinWren

I did not see very many bees this summer, it is frightening. A couple of killer hornets nests have been located, they have finally arrived in Canada. My hope is that the hornets have been eradicated and that they do not find any more.


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## Alligatorob

Without bees for pollination our fruit trees would not produce, they are important.


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## SmoothSeas

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## Warrigal

SmoothSeas said:


> eta:  reminder to our members south of the equator, too...


I keep a bowl of water in a shady spot during the summer months for the bees and small birds. I have half a paving brick sitting in the water in such a way that it is partly above the water. That way neither the small birds nor the bees are able to drown. I also have a bird bath that I keep topped up but in the heat of Summer it dries up quite quickly. The birds love to wallow in the water when it is very hot. They splash a lot too, causing the water to disappear even more quickly.


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## SmoothSeas

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## SmoothSeas

Don't be surprised, it's the face of a bee...




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## Alligatorob

SmoothSeas said:


> the face of a bee


Looks like my neighbor.


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## Mandee

These pics look more like wasps than any bees I've ever seen.


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## Chet

There are lots of people foods with honey added for flavor. Bees manufacture honey for their own use so I wonder if they are being robbed of it by humans leaving them in a pickle?


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## Lara

Honey bees pollinate approximately 80% of all vegetables, fruit and seed crops in the USA.

Honey bees are the ONLY insect that produces food for humans to eat.

A single bee makes 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. A typical little 12-ounce honey bear squeeze bottle takes 864 bees to make all the honey that goes inside it.

They literally NEVER sleep. I don't think we can survive without them.

Pesticides, genetically modified crops, parasites and changing climate patterns are all being considered as contributing factors, but more scientific research is needed.

I had a large container-garden on my deck at my previous home. I had tons of zucchini plants that produced dozens of zucchini every summer. All of a sudden I had tons of big beautiful flowers BUT never turned into zucchinis.  I believe the city or county was flying overhead and spraying chemicals to kill other pests like mosquitoes....because I saw them spraying something once...a quick once-over. I never saw an FYI or anything about it in the paper. But then again, I didn't get a paper lol. Well I never saw it on TV and I used to watch the news alot.


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## Kaila

palides2021 said:


> We have bees on our land, and we found a bees nest the other day in the back yard. I left it alone. Although I like what bees are doing to our agriculture, I am prone to getting bitten. Yep. So I'm always on the lookout. I found by wearing a certain color clothing, they don't attack as easily, but it might not be true.



I wish I had noticed this thread, back a few months ago,
but just in case it's still helpful to you or to someone else,

For those who have concerns about being allergic to bee stings,

Is it possible to use a skin oil like Skin-So-Soft, that bees definitely do not like, during the times that you think you will be near any bees, such as places with lots of wildflowers?

I have *not* ever used it on my skin, but I did wipe it onto the hummingbird feeders, so that the bees do not gather on them or get stuck inside it.  It works to deter them from that spot,

so I thought _Perhaps it would deter them from biting humans?

(And without harming the bees at all)_


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## SmoothSeas

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## Repondering

I keep three bee colonies and can attest that bees only sting in self defense of their hive....or if you step on one barefooted or pick it up off of a flower or something.  They only sting once, they leave the stinger in the flesh of the stinged person or animal and they die shortly after that.
I encourage everyone to not fear bees.....unless you're poking around in their hive and then it's only wise to wear protective garments.  
I think my bees recognize me and permit me to inspect their hive.....if I move slowly, don't bring any strong aromas with me and behave politely.
Usually.  Some colonies are more aggressive than others.  And they're more belligerent in late summer.....there's more honey to protect and more likely to be robbed.


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## SmoothSeas

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## SmoothSeas

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## SmoothSeas

I present to you the heroes of the planet...


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## SmoothSeas

When a beekeeper forgot to put the frames back in the hive, the bees built this themselves. It takes into account airflow and temp regulation. Remarkable bees. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








​Bees (Clade: Anthophila): These Pollinating insects are suffering badly with populations recorded as much as 30% lower in some regions in recent years. Bees are closely related to wasps and ants. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in nine recognised families, many are undescribed and the actual number is probably higher. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants.


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## RobinWren

I saw two bees yesterday on the rodos but it is still very cold and wet here.


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## Em in Ohio

Also saw two honey bees.  One had to be fished out of the dog's pool but recovered; the other was sluggishly walking on the patio, probably because of the erratic temperatures.  Once the lawn clover blooms, I will hopefully see lots more!


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## SmoothSeas

what an incredible mid-flight capture...




A bee that returns to the hive after a hard day at work​


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## SmoothSeas

Not all bees are yellow and brown, this is a blue striped Australian bee.
The Australian blue bee is one of the most beautiful wild bees in the world. Its striking colors make it one of the most admired 

The Australian blue bee is a solitary species, a wild pollinator that sleeps in crevices, on rocks or in small crevices in the ground.


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## Em in Ohio

Em in Ohio said:


> May 18th:  Also saw two honey bees.  One had to be fished out of the dog's pool but recovered; the other was sluggishly walking on the patio, probably because of the erratic temperatures.  Once the lawn clover blooms, I will hopefully see lots more!


UPDATE:  It is now the end of June, and although the lawn clover has come and pretty much gone, I haven't seen any other honey bees.  In fact, there seems to be a severe lack of pollinators in my area so far this year.  /-;


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