What do you reckon: how many bees share this beautiful planet earth with us? Bees comprise something between 20’000 and 30’000 species worldwide! Switzerland alone boasts a little more than 600.

Surely, you know the honeybee. Humans domesticated them and there are only a hand full of different species. All the others are so called wild bees, including bumble bees. Around 95% live solitary. It is only honeybees and bumblebees who build a hive.

Insects in general, and bees in particular, are most important pollinators. No insects means no fruits and almost no veggies. Close to half of all species in Switzerland, for example, are endangered these days…

We have a great responsibility in making our concrete and contaminated world insect- and bee-friendly again.

Everyone of us can help them:

• Do not use chemicals (fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) in your garden!
• Plant a native flower mix that offers different flowers throughout spring, summer, and autumn.
• Buy your food from farmers who do not use harmful pesticides, fertilizers, and the like.
• Make room for natural habitats in your garden. Wild bees need a variety of materials and places to lay their eggs into, depending on the species. The range goes from using hollows in the ground, wood, walls, gras stalks, over sandy steep faces, to empty snail shells and rotten plant material.

You will immediately be rewarded by their action. Please enjoy them and be grateful for their “services”.

I discovered these cuties while on a little stroll close to home and stopped to watch them dive headlong into this thistle, do some synchronized pollen collecting, and sharing the table peacefully.
Do you see in the video how their legs really are full of pollen? They have sort of baskets on their legs to collect pollen. That is why we can talk of a new fashion trend here: pollen trousers. They are not only comfortably soft but also include some sweets :0).

I wish you moments like these, that make you stop for a while to just BEE.

Happy Sunday,

Daniela