Photo by Jenske
We’ve all heard about the honey bee crisis: since 2006,
millions of colonies have died out due to the mysterious colony collapse
disorder (CCD), a condition where worker bees suddenly abandon their hives.
While there are many possible causes for the incredible decline in the
population, no one has quite nailed down why these bees are disappearing in
extraordinary numbers.
So who cares, right? You can’t pet a bee, or put it in a
sweater, and if you try to cuddle with one you’ll probably get stung. But it is
a big deal! Bees are an integral part of our agricultural system; they
pollinate about a third of crops grown in the United States, including
strawberries, almonds, peaches, watermelons, oranges, and tomatoes. Not to
mention the countless uses greenies have for honey and beeswax. No
bees equals no deliciousness.
One way to help is by supporting independent bee farmers so
they can give the best care to their existing colonies. Besides perusing your
local farmers’ market, here are a couple brands that will have you buzzing:
Three Sisters
Farms, located in Essex,
Connecticut, uses their own
certified naturally grown honey (yes, honey is “grown!”) to make decadent
soaps, creams, lip products and candles all from their own beehives. And their
award-winning raw honey is delicious! On a non-bee-related note, they’ve just
come out with an all-natural bug repellant. How cool is that?
Beeceuticals
Organics uses a fancy Organic Holistic Honey Blend, which is a
specially-formulated concoction of medicinal honey from around the world. Their
line, which ranges from shampoo to lip products to body lotion, is free from
parabens, synthetic fragrances and other skin irritants. Even better? They’re
in cahoots with CarbonFund.org to offset 100% of their carbon footprint.
Garden Botanika
recently came out with their Bee Soft line of skin care, which utilizes organic
honey and beeswax. The line is specially formulated for sensitive skin,
fragrance free, and all the Bee Soft products have at least 73% certified
organic ingredients.
Haagen-Dazs ice cream company has really taken this bee
thing to heart. They set up the adorable website HelptheHoneyBees.com to create
awareness about the crisis and to promote the use of bee-dependent products.
They’ve even created a new flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee, to pay homage to our
little buddies. For every pint of the ice cream sold, the company makes a
donation to research programs studying bee pollination and repopulation. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting one of
those t-shirts, stat.
