National Pollinator Week: What Green Organizations and Individuals Can do to Help Save the Bees and Other Pollinators

Initiated and managed by The Pollinator Partnership, National Pollinator Week runs June 18-24, 2018. The week is dedicated to celebrating and protecting not only bees but also birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. While many people find bees to be pesky, they are a vital part of our eco-system. Climate change is linked to flowers blooming earlier before bees emerge from hibernation, disrupting the natural pollination process. Many of the foods we eat rely on or benefit from pollinators. Bees and other pollinators need our help to combat the effects of climate change on pollination.

Simple backyard planting and gardening changes can help save pollinators. Here are some things you can do to protect pollinators:

• Plant native wildflowers. Wildflowers will not only help beautify landscape in your home and community, they are also a key food source for bees. Planting wildflowers in your yard will allow bees to better pollinate any fruits or vegetables you are growing and increase crop production. Bees love sunflowers, black-eyed Susans and many others. Visit the Pollinator Partnership’s website which provides ecoregional planting guides, tailored to specific areas of the U.S.
• Choose flowering vegetables for your garden. Flowering food plants like peppers, strawberries, squash and pumpkins will attract bees to your garden. By planting these vegetables, you are helping feed pollinators and in return they will help your plants grow. While they may take many years to produce fruit, fruit trees are also very attractive to pollinators.
• Limit the amount of pesticides, especially in the spring when pollinators are looking for food. Pesticides can poison pollinators.
• Support local, organic farmers and garden clubs. These farmers don’t use pesticides in turn keeping pollinators alive. Garden clubs frequently have native plant sales with hand-picked pollinator friendly plants for your yard.
• Learn to love dandelions. These early spring flowers are often one of bees’ first food sources when winter is over.

If your organization wants to showcase your support for bees and other pollinators, there are no better promotional products than seeded items that when grown will help attract bees. Eco Promotional Products offers many seeded items that when grown will help pollination.

Personalized Flower Seed Packets show your organization’s commitment to pollinators. Personalized flower seed packets contain full color recycled card-stock themed backer cards to showcase your message and a generous scoop of flower seeds packaged in a compostable corn-based cello bag. Wildflower seeds are standard but this item can be upgraded with a custom bee mix specifically designed to attract bees.

Join us in the fight against climate change and help #SaveTheBees.