This nonprofit is doing un-bee-lievably amazing things to protect our pollinators!

We love bees. We love the hum they make in a garden, the waggle dance they perform for each other, and the loyalty they show to their Queen Bee. 👑🐝And we’re especially grateful to bees because they pollinate so much of the food we eat, the drinks we sip, and the flowers we smell. 

Bees do SO much for us! The very least we can do is support pollinator-friendly environments for them to thrive, too. And with bee populations declining at drastically high rates, they need our help. 

That’s why, we’re partnering with The Honeybee Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to not only protecting pollinators, but also inspiring communities to show love to our incredible bee friends. 

The Honeybee Conservancy

The Honeybee Conservancy — founded by Guillermo Fernandez, Master Beekeeper candidate and NYC beekeeper himself  — is doing so much to make the world a happier place for bees (and all bee-ings!) to call home. 

From building bee sanctuaries across the U.S. and Canada to launching a Bee Ambassadors Program, their team works fiercely to foster a kinder, more sustainable planet for pollinators. 

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#honeycomb #knowledge for today’s #beethesolution fact about #honeybees : The axes of honeycomb cells are always quasihorizontal, and the nonangled rows of honeycomb cells are always horizontally (not vertically) aligned. Thus, each cell has two vertically oriented walls, with the upper and lower parts of the cells composed of two angled walls. The open end of a cell is typically referred to as the top of the cell, while the opposite end is called the bottom. The cells slope slightly upwards, between 9 and 14°, towards the open ends. Two possible explanations exist as to why honeycomb is composed of hexagons, rather than any other shape. First, the hexagonal tiling creates a partition with equal-sized cells, while minimizing the total perimeter of the cells. Known in geometry as the honeycomb #conjecture, this was given by Jan Brożek and proved much later by Thomas Hales. Thus, a hexagonal structure uses the least material to create a lattice of cells within a given volume. A second reason, given by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, is that the shape simply results from the process of individual bees putting cells together: somewhat analogous to the boundary shapes created in a field of soap #bubbles. In support of this, he notes that #queen cells, which are constructed singly, are irregular and lumpy with no apparent attempt at efficiency. #buzz about that! This photo is from one of the @thehoneybeeconservancy frames at @thebatterynyc

A post shared by The Honeybee Conservancy (@thehoneybeeconservancy) on Oct 15, 2019 at 6:48am PDT

The Honeybee Conservancy also created a Sponsor-a-Hive partnership program that places bees in community farms and food gardens. Their focus is to feed the millions of Americans living in “food deserts,” which are low-income areas that are more than a mile from a supermarket. It’s a beautiful example of how supporting bees helps all of us bloom in different ways. 🌿🌻🌱

“Bee the solution”

Luckily, there are lots of ways to step up and show pollinators, like bees, you care.

1. Plant a bee garden/build a bee box
2. Go pesticide free
3. Sponsor-a-hive

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Pollen-packed article by @HouseBeautiful on how to host a BBQ that feeds you…and local bees! Our Director, Guillermo, is quoted. #greenspace #backyard #picnic #savethebees #THBC #honeybees #welovebees #savethebees #summerfun

A post shared by The Honeybee Conservancy (@thehoneybeeconservancy) on Aug 3, 2019 at 7:13am PDT

Check out more ways to get involved with The Honeybee Conservancy and protect pollinators at Bee the Solution.

Read more posts about pollinators and how you can help:

• 7 Simple ways to make your home pollinator friendly
• Quiz: what do you know about the birds and the bees (and other pollinators)?
• 3 Ways you can help save the bees