A few weeks ago we went to a major league game and had the best time enjoying the game, festivities food and sunshine. If you haven’t been to San Diego in June you need to at least once in your lifetime. Even with our notorious “June gloom” the weather is still warm and Jacarandas trees are in full bloom it turns the city into a painted masterpiece. The jacaranda tree fully flowers into a majestic purple bloom that is breathtaking.
As we walked back to our seats after grabbing some of our favorite local fares for dinner we discovered the game was paused for bees on the field. Right behind home plate was a massive beach ball sized swarm of bees. A local company was called and to remove the bees and continue the game, they made the decision to exterminate them. While many fans were surprised and wished there had been an alternative solution, but none more so than my sweet 6-year-old daughter.
Bigger Than Bees
When Summer first saw the swarm, she started dropping encyclopedia level facts about our pollinator friends and how important they are.
“But mom, did you know that bees pollinate almost all of our plants and our crops? My science teacher says that we need them for 1 of every 3 bites of food we eat.”
Ryan and I both looked at each other through sideways glances. “Did you know that?” “What should we say?” we exchanged glances through exaggerated brown arches that lead to only one conclusion, one of us is about to step into some heavy parents and I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to be me.
I took the bait and told Summer that of course, I knew that and maybe we can find a way to help the pollinators. Luckily with a tiny prayer a little help from the brand of honey we buy and quick google search, I found it – National Pollinators Week was coming up and we were going to celebrate Summer’s new found love of pollinators and all they do for our delicate ecosystem.
So where to start, the closest connection I have to Summers new best friends the pollinators, the honey in my cupboard.
Why Honey
If you aren’t already into honey in a big way, come join us. It’s really nice over here.
Nothing added, nothing removed honey (at least honey from the right folks like Local Hive) is going to have no antibiotics, no pesticides and be farmed locally for your region.
As a native Californian with allergies, I’ve made it a habit since childhood to have local honey. The idea, according to my mom, is that when you ingest local honey you’re ingesting local pollens and over time you become less sensitive to those pollens. Sort of like allergy shots.
Local Hive – 100% Pure Raw & Unfiltered Honey
However, until I discovered Local Hive, getting local honey was an arduous process of braving large crowds at hot farmers markets (they are a social scene here in SoCal) to get local honey. But to tell you the truth, I didn’t really know what I was getting how local it was and if it was or wasn’t pesticide free.
It wasn’t until a few months ago I was at Costco, of all places that I came across my new favorite pure raw honey from Local Hive. Plagued with different seasonal allergies in San Diego than I have in Sonoma County having easy access to local honey from both places is incredibly convenient given the amount of time I spend in both places.
Seeds For Bees
With the promise of a great bee saving activity in the am we continued enjoying the game as I vowed a solution when we got home. And that was exactly what I delivered.
The next morning the kids woke up bright eyed and surprised that I was delivering on my bee saving solution at the break of dawn. I told Summer that I had looked up the company that makes our honey and they were also celebrating the National Pollinators Week. If she was worried about the number of pollinators that were lost at the game, then we can do our part to help provide them with a safe environment in our yard and we’ll make an impact all the way up the food chain. If you want to learn more about the small but might change a tiny wildflower seed can make all the way up the food chain, check out this great resource from Local Hive I used to help talk about it with Summer.
With schools out, National Pollinator Week is a great way to keep teaching our kids this summer. When you plant wildflower seeds, you begin a cycle that supports wildlife from the ground up: pollination. And what Mom doesn’t want a chance to remind our kids that great things come from small beginnings.
Read more about Local Hive and how they are spreading the buzz about National Pollinators Week.
Thank you Local Hive for sponsoring this post. You can read more about Local Hive and how they are spreading the buzz about National Pollinators Week.
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