I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY . . .

By Ryan Duffey

Many beekeepers around the country have been reporting losses of 30-90% of their hives. The cause of this loss has been identified as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Scientists are saying that the bees are stressed out.

Why should we care about bees? Bees pollinate, and when they do we get lovely flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables. Do you love to go apple picking and pluck a nice juicy apple from the tree and take a big bite? When bees are gone, there will be no apples or almost any other fruits or vegetables. Do you enjoy taking a walk through your garden or a town park and looking at all the flowers? I’m sure you do. You can thank bees for them. Imagine a world without bees – there would be no flowers to see or fruit to eat.

Even though I’m only ten years old, I can make a difference. We can all make a difference by planting flowers all over our yards. When I plant flowers, bees come to pollinate. The more healthy flowers I plant, the more bees I see. I know that they’re happy doing what nature intended. Pesticides are one of the things killing bees and other important insects. I’m not going to use any pesticide this year in my garden (because my parents wouldn’t let me handle it anyway), and I will tell my friends and family not to use any pesticides either. Instead of using chemical fertilizers that a child shouldn’t go near because they are too dangerous, I am going to use organic fertilizer. You know that banana you just finished? That banana peel is one of many things we throw away that makes great fertilizer.   

So, this spring, go outside and plant a healthy garden and watch your flowers bloom when the bees come and go from plant to plant.

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