Will anything I do even help?

Image thanks to Louise Docker

One of the problems with such a highly connected world is that problems easily become BIG problems and people feel like their individual actions can't possibly help (or contribute to) the issue. But, since no one person is causing the problem, then no one person can fix it. It takes everyone doing their own small part.

Things you can do to help

Here are a few things you can do that honestly help save the bees.

• Buy honey and bee products from local beekeepers.
  This not only supports your community, but allows you to vote with your wallet. Most honey at the supermarket is imported from China. Honey commercially produced in the US is subject to the same kinds of dodgy factory farming practices as other livestock, such as overuse of antibiotics. (Also, local honey is just ridiculously delicious.)
• Buy fruit and vegetables from local farmers.
  Large factory farms usually employ monocultural farming techniques. Having all one kind of crop for acres and acres means that there is only food for the bees while those flowers are in season. This has led to the rise of migratory beekeeping: putting beehives on the back of a truck and following the flowering schedule of different crops. This means you stress out an animal that would normally spend its life in one place and spread disease like wildfire. Some migratory beekeepers also kill their hives every year because it's cheaper than feeding the bees corn syrup all winter.
• Call a local beekeeper instead of killing a swarm of bees.
  When bees swarm, they look scary, but are actually at their most docile. Most beekeepers will be very happy to come get a swarm because they get free bees. You can also just avoid the area for the day. Bee swarms are just resting while they look for a new home and won't stay in that spot permanently.
• Cut back on pesticides in your garden.
  Poisons can't distinguish beneficial bugs from pests. Look into natural alternatives such as ladybugs and nematodes. At the very least, avoid neonicotinoid pesticides such as Imidacloprid.
• Support laws that help bees or write your government offices to suggest some.
  There is a big push back from the farming industry to keep pesticide bans from being passed. This is based on the fear that they will lose a lot of money to pest related crop damages. However, Italy passed neonicotinoid pesticide bans and saw no effect on crop yields.
• Plant random wildflower seeds.

Remember:

Image from the wilds of the Internet.