Get busy being good to bees

The third Saturday of August is National Honey Bee Day! How will you celebrate?

As agriculture has grown, so has the awareness for how much bees help the environment so, in 2009, Thomas J. Vilsek set aside this day to celebrate honey bees. This is a perfect day for those who love bees or honey, and for those who are considering a hobby or career as a beekeeper. Take this day to learn to appreciate the little things like bees that help us in a big way.

Bees are instrumental in agriculture so more gardeners are planting flowers like wildflowers or orchids that attract them. Bees then take the pollen from those flowers to other plants. We help the bees and they help us by giving nutrients to other plants and we give them really good food for them.

Some people fear bees, but they are peaceful creatures and only attack when they feel threatened. If a bee comes near you, whether because of your sweet beverage or your sweet disposition, and you feel a bit uncomfortable, just move slowly or hold still. In most cases it will fly away.

A great way to celebrate National Honey Bee Day would be to buy some delicious local honey from the Vacaville Farmers Market or smaller stores and farms, like Cal Yee Farm or Soul Food Farm.

Another option is to go out to UC Davis and visit the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven in person or online at https://beegarden.ucdavis.edu/.

You can also participate in local flower bombing, which sounds weird but basically you get flower seeds and just spread them everywhere whether it be in a park or your own backyard so the bees have plenty of nectar for them to spread naturally and keep! Check out the video with this article for more information.

If you can’t get out, shop or plant right now, why not celebrate National Honey Bee Day by watching The Bee Movie on Netflix or another streaming services. It’s funny, but it is also very educational.