I recently visited Tropical Fruit World. Considering I live relatively close I couldn’t believe I had never been before. They have so many species of fruit growing – 500, I think.

Before I was sent on the tour, I noticed a tiny beehive. Granted I know very little about bees. It made me think – I remember seeing loads of bees in my garden years gone by and now a noticeable drop.
I asked the tour guide if there had been a drop in pollination and bee activity. She said yes. Globally in fact. I always take on board what I hear but I always do my research. Nothing worse than blindly listening and following others assuming it’s correct. And the bee population decline has become an issue Australia-wide and in other Countries. Seems so odd that a tiny little insect that is as important to human survival as oxygen would just start to decline. And you may or may not know that bees are responsible for pollinating much of our fruit and vegies. With that said, they’re a huge part of a farmer’s livelihood. So again, how odd that something so vital to us, is not huge news.
In our day-to-day lives we may not think about their importance terribly much. Honey is great for us, great as a cold and flu remedy, perfect for anti-bacterial support and amazing for skin, same for beeswax. But as I mentioned above, bees are responsible for pollinating our fruit and vegetables. Without that supply our natural diet suddenly becomes seriously nutrient depleted.
Alright, we’ve covered the bee issue and their importance to us, and rather than discussing the how’s and the why’s behind the decline – I prefer to share some ideas to help the bee population instead.
Below are some simple ways to give the little black and yellow fellows a helping hand. And yes, I did take this quote from the Bee movie.
·      Plant some bee loving plants. Species include Rosemary, Misty Plume Bush, Borage and Lavender.
·      Stop using Pesticides. Natural alternatives are effective.
·      Choose local sustainable honey.
·      Create a bee hotel in your garden – a haven for them to rest.
Today I popped in my garden some Misty Plume Bush and some Rosemary. Both offer incredible skin and hair benefits, and I’m hoping that I’ll see a little group of our buzzing friends return.
Misty Plume provides great relief to headaches – can I hear a whoo-hoo?! And Rosemary is for helping the scalp turn over fresh cells, and for the skin to fight free radicals.
If you try any of the above, I’d love to hear your progress, and even some photos.
As always, spread kindness like its jam on toast.
Rebecca x
Naturally COS