May 20th is World Bee Day. The purpose of the international day is to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem.
As Mercy women, we encourage each other to do what we can to save the bee population and enhance their contribution as significant providers for the needs of humanity. We can help restore the bee population by planting flowers, cultivating gardens and avoiding the use of pesticides. Here’s another suggestion to help the bee population! Something as simple as letting your lawn grow natural for one month could help save bees and other pollinators.
The wild bee population is threatened by a shrinking habitat, disease and climate change. ‘No Mow May’ could help change their dilemma. I wonder if we could let go of the societal or cultural pressure to have an immaculate, unblemished lawn even for a month, so our endangered species might get a head start on building back their population. The wild bee population will definitely appreciate our support.
Interesting facts about Bees:
Among the three main categories in the bee family, each has important roles to play in the life and wellbeing of the hive. Bees called scouts protect the hive from predators. The queen’s job is to mate and lay eggs. When food is scarce as in the winter season, the ‘workers’ run the drones out of the hive to preserve the meager food supply. There is no free lunch!
Kathleen Walsh
US Region
