A Day Dedicated to the Honey Bees!

The first National Honey Bee Day program was held on August 22, 2009. This year's date is August 21, 2010.

Some facts about honey bees and why they are important:

*1/3 of all vegetables and fruits are pollinated by honey bees. Depending on the crop, some fruits would not develop without pollination from honey bees. With other crops, we might get fruit, just not the same amount or the quality we desire. Ever see a lopsided apple or pumpkin? That is a sign of improper pollination. Without the honey bee, many things in nature would be "lopsided".

*Some suggest that between 50-80% of the world’s food supply is directly or indirectly affected by honey bee pollination. Whether it’s pollination of apples, or pollination of the seeds to produce grain for livestock, the food chain is linked to honey bees. The worlds production of food is dependent on pollination, provided by the honey bees.

*Honey bees are perfect as a measuring device to gauge the health of the environment. Bees are very sensitive to pesticides. Some pesticides have been shown to effect the honey bees with devastating and deadly results with only several parts per billion in contamination. (Search online for further info under: "Bee Colony Collapse" or see the post on our facebook page. Please note is only a possible cause for this current and ongoing problem).

*Honey Bees have been managed and have sustained farming practices as far back as 4500 years.

For more information, please visit the National Honey Bee Awareness Day and the National Honey Bee Day Website: http://www.nhbad.com/...