Help Save the Honey Bees in Your Backyard

In 2006, a devastating plague emerged that has since killed millions with seemingly no end in sight as scientists struggle to understand its cause and how to fight it.

The disease described above, however, isn’t one that affects humans. Instead, the killer syndrome impacts bees and is called Colony Collapse Disorder.

The latest buzz on bees came last week, when Monsanto announced it was forming a Honey Bee Advisory Council, composed of company executives and industry experts. The announcement come during a three-day Honey Bee Health Summit at the agriculture giant’s Chesterfield Village Research Center.

Monsanto hopes the council can address the plight of honey bees by working with the honey bee community to support agricultural management practices that promote bee health.

Whether you a fan or not of Monsanto, which has frequently come under fire from food and agriculture activists, Chesterfield resident and Citizens Committee for the Environment co-chair Darcy Capstick told Patch residents can take action themselves to help save the bees in their backyard.

The key is to make sure your garden has plenty of native flora. They are the favorite of the region’s pollinators, which include moths and butterflies as well as bees, and serve as an integral source of food.

There are plenty of online resources for those who want to get started planting. Capstick recommended checking out Grow Native and Plants of Merit.

June is also home to National Pollinators Week, which runs this year from the 17th-23rd, but Chesterfield is celebrating it all month long with an informational display at city hall.

As for Monsanto, Capstick said she there involvement is a positive development, noting that it will take cooperation on all levels to help preserve a future for the world’s pollinating insects.