British Columbia will celebrate the Day of the Honeybee on May 29.
Officially registered in 2011, the day was originally chosen by a backyard beekeeper in Saskatchewan two years earlier as he recognized that there was a worldwide plight of honeybee health throughout the world. He chose that date because that was the day when New Zealander Sir Edmund Hilary was the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest. Significantly, he was a beekeeper!
It has been well recognized that honeybees pollinate one-third of the world’s crops. Pesticides and insecticides as well as bee diseases have resulted in a significant decrease in honeybees and other pollinators throughout the world.
For the past five years the Sunshine Coast Beekeepers (sunshinecoastbeekeepers.com) have celebrated this day locally after having received proclamations from both Gibsons and Sechelt councils in support of the group’s efforts to address this problem. Local gardeners can greatly assist by searching for and planting flowers and plants that feed the pollinators. Clover, mint, berries, borage, lavender and fruit trees are just a few of the local helpful plantings. We also have our ever-present blackberries which are of great value. Supporting local organic farms and gardens is also most helpful.
– Submitted by Allan Cobbin
