Page 94 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2020

HOME & GARDEN
SAVEthe Bees!
story by Leigh Ann Green photos courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast Beekeepers Association
Lush green grass, owers in vibrant colors, no weeds in sight – all signs of healthy, environmentally-sound lawns and gardens. Not necessarily. Often the same substances we use to keep lawns and gardens beautiful are dangerous to one of our most valuable resources: honeybees. Honeybees are responsible for 80 percent of the pollination of our country’s plants and indirectly provide us with more than one-third of our food.
Judy Hierstein, president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Beekeepers Association (MSGCBA) is concerned about the future of honeybees. And she’s not alone. Honeybees are struggling to thrive and, at times, to survive.
Some struggles are related to natural causes. Hierstein notes much of the southeastern United States experienced excessive rainfall and historic ooding in 2019. As a result, many owers and crops were destroyed, reducing available pollen for honeybees. Reduced pollen equals reduced honey production. Honey is not only food
for humans; it’s food for bees and helps carry them through the winter months when fewer plants
are blooming.
With a pride and passion akin to that of a pet owner, Hierstein goes on to list other challenges faced by the honeybee population, including colony collapse disorder and parasites such as varroa mites and hive beetles.
Hierstein shares these tips that even non-
beekeepers can use to help strengthen our honeybee population: Plant bee-friendly owers. Bees are especially fond of native wild owers, including black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, and cone ower, and owering fruits and vegetables, such as blackberries and okra. Use bee-friendly insecticides and weed killers to rid your garden and yard from unwanted pests and weeds.
The MSGCBA was formed to increase knowledge of and promotion of apiculture, or beekeeping, in southern Mississippi. Additionally, the association seeks to increase public awareness of the challenges faced by honeybees. Meetings are held each month at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier and are open to anyone who would like to learn more about beekeeping or how to protect and nurture our native honeybees.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Beekeepers Association
facebook @MSGCBA
BEE-FRIENDLY HERBICIDE
1 gallon of vinegar
2 cups of Epsom salts
1⁄4 cup Dawn dishwashing liquid
Waiting until evening, after bees have stopped collecting pollen for the day, is an ideal time to treat any plants and owers. Diatomaceous earth poured on anthills is another e ective, bee- friendly way to eliminate ants.
94 | March 2020
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