Save The Bees

My heroic fiance has been at it again (finding wildlife in need) and this time I was there to capture it. Today, at lunch, he brought me home a gift - a beautiful big furry bumblebee that was all out of energy and on the brink of death. Perched on his lunchbox, the poor bee was hardly moving.

Luckily, my partner had recently read an article about bees, and how they very often (and very quickly) run out of energy. If they are not near a source of nectar (to stabilise them) this can be life threatening, as we saw with this one.

All of those times that we used to see a bumble bee sat on the pavement, we would presume it was dying and there was nothing that we could do. We now know why they are dying, and that by taking a few simple steps, we can help them, and they can be saved. The article explained that when you see a bee like this, you should feed it some honey, which will give it back the energy that it needs.

We took him into the garden, and dripped water mixed with honey in front of him (as the picture shows). We could not believe our eyes when he instantly reached out his antenna and began sucking up the liquid like there was no tomorrow. Apparently they can smell the sugar! We gave him plenty, and then moved him on to plain honey, without mixing it with water, incase he needed it a bit stronger. This worked a charm and he had the lot! - That is a really important point actually, to give them honey and NOT sugar. Even a little sugar can harm them, just as it does us in large quantities.

After about 20 minutes (he was really thirsty), he was all fixed. Like a baby taking its first steps, we watched excitedly - proudly - as he made his way off the box, dried himself in the wind with spread wings, and bid farewell as he flew off on his way.

If you would like to help bees (which absolutely everyone should), then remember this story, and put it to use in your life. Don't be afraid to pick a bee up either, they are not like wasps that sting randomly, and certainly not when they are on the brink of death.

You can now even purchase a 'Bee Station' which will help the bees in your garden, without you having to get hands on. They are a wonderful idea, and just sit in your flower bed, for bees to nest in, and re-fuel on sugary drinks (honey). You can find them here: www.eco-age.com

To read more about bees and how amazing they are, the troubles they face in todays changing world, and how you can help them, have a read of this very interesting article: www.eco-age.com