The World's First Collection Of Mini Bouquets For Bees Are Here And They're As Cute As They Sound
To most of us, bees are harmless, if a bit scary, creatures that tend to buzz around in spring and summer. You may have even done some of your own research to find out the best way to save bees by yourself. As well as pollinating, bees give us honey, a food that has been shown to have great benefits and is a mainstay in a lot of diets.
However, recent data suggests that bees are dying out at an overwhelming rate, a fact that could have disastrous consequences for the planet (via Independent). In fact, Greenpeace states that an entire third of U.K. bees haven't been spotted in the last 10 years, suggesting that they have died out. This could partly be because the U.K. has lost 97% of traditional pollinating spaces since 1945, meaning bees have much fewer places to pollinate and help the planet, according to Friends of the Earth.
The statistics are shocking, especially as bees are viewed as commonplace bugs. Speaking to MPR News, bee specialist Mikayla Wilson revealed that the number of bees dying is rising each year. While it is normal to lose bees in colder months, the losses are not being replaced with new bees, hence why the future of bees is being met with concern.
It may all sound hopeless, but luckily there are a few solutions to stop bees from disappearing completely, one of which is adorable to boot too.
The company is working in tandem with a beekeeping charity to help do all they can for the future of bees
Enter Beequets. Created by flower company The Last Bunch, Beequets are just what they sound like — bouquets for bees.
As The Last Bunch creates preserved flowers, they have a keen focus on sustainability and minimizing the catastrophic effect that the flower industry can have on the environment. In an effort to go even further with their ethos, they have partnered with Bees for Development, a charity that teaches the skill of beekeeping in poor communities so they have a reliable skill for life.
The collaboration involves making teeny tiny bouquets for bees, all of which contain flowers that attract bees the most. Each bouquet is made using flowers that were destined for the rubbish bin but were instead saved to be preserved. They can be purchased for £11.99, with £2 from each sale going to help preserve the survival of bees and their future (per The Last Bunch). You can have one on your windowsill to cheer you up, buy one as a cute gift for a friend, or place your mini bouquet outside to attract bees and help them thrive. According to NewScientist, data suggests bees may feel happy when receiving a treat like sugar water or seeing flowers, making your purchase all the more worthwhile.
Bees are producing less eggs and cannot keep up with their declining population
The Last Bunch also outlines some of the main factors that could be contributing to our declining bee population. One of these factors is the use of pesticides, which kills the flowers and plants bees are attracted to, therefore ruining their habitat. Furthermore, Science magazine states that even if bees do survive when feeding on pesticides, the chemicals can have a lifelong effect on them. A major effect of pesticide ingestion is female bees laying fewer eggs, which could potentially be a factor in why the bee population is declining.
Disturbingly, The Guardian reports that pesticides with a harmful impact have doubled in the U.S. from 1992-2016. Though now pesticides are less toxic to humans and animals, they are doubly as toxic for invertebrates like bees. With fewer bees around, it's impossible for the remaining population to sustain the three-quarters of crops they pollinate, something that's vital for better plant growth (via Medical News Today).
All of this data can feel overwhelming, but by purchasing a Beequet from The Last Bunch you'll be doing your bit for the bees as well as receiving a cute gift too.