National Honey Bee Day !

According to some estimates, over 20,000 species of bees exist today, and 7 species of honeybees.  A recent phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder threatens to reduce the number of honeybees, especially in urban areas.

According to Marla Spivak, Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Apiculture/Social Insects at the University of Minnesota

"A honeybee colony contains 40,000 to 50,0000 individuals, all communicating and making decisions. Honeybees even have social healthcare. They separate out sick individuals to keep the colony healthy, and they scrape propolis resins from flowers and use this natural antibiotic to seal the hive.

Bees have survived for over 50 million years. So something is very wrong when they are dying en masse. This is happening for four interrelated reasons, all related to changes in farming practices after World War II, says Spivak. While there’s been a 300% increase in production of crops that require bee pollination since WWII, we’ve started using much more synthetic fertilizer, and created crop monocultures, systematically eliminating the flowering plants that bees need for survival. At the same time, we’ve started using pesticides, and now every batch of pollen that a honeybee collects has at least six traces of pesticides in it — including neonicotinoids. These pesticides move through plant tissue; parasites take a bite and die. But neonicotinoids make bees intoxicated and disoriented, and in high enough concentration it can kill them"

Come out this Saturday to Several local events to learn more about Honey Bees and beekeeping.

• Asheville City Market on Charlotte Street, 8am-1pm
• Carrboro Farmers Market under the Gazebo 7am-Noon
• Beekeepers of the Neuse
• Old Waynesborough Park, Goldsboro, NC: 9am-1pm
• Join us at Waynesborough Park to celebrate National Honey Bee Day and learn about the importance and fun of beekeeping! National Honey Bee Day was designated by the USDA in 2010 to further awareness of the honey bee and its importance to agriculture, the food system, and the economy. There are half as many beekeepers and a third less beehives today as there were just 25 years ago. Join us to learn how you can get started in the rewarding and beneficial hobby of beekeeping! Or just come and enjoy a great day at the park

For more information about beekeeping in North Carolina check out there website http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/ or on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ncbeekeepers.