I don’t know about you, but the seventies were pretty significant for me. I remember my first beekeeping short course at U of MD (had 32 attend)!, my first (1972) and 2nd son (1979) (reason I am here in OR is their children now) and the trama of University promotion from new Assistant to full Professor (took 9 years). Then there was another important date April 22, 1970, first Earth Day….celebrated while I was still at Cornell about to go to Univ of Maryland. Thousands in Ithaca dedicated themselves to picking up tons of litter, our local “trash-in” and we used bicycles (not autos) that day up and down the hills of Ithaca, NY. There was big “teach-in” and bees were included as one of the topics and we had a booth to “Save the Bees”. It was “cool” to think of our “mother earth” back then – and no less a necessity and still “cool” to do so this newest anniversary.
I hope you will spend a moment during the day on April 22 to thank the bees and a beekeeper for what he/she does. Beekeepers are stewards of the land – they are in continual search for safe habitat in search of pollen and nectar for their bees. Beekeepers are stewards of a remarkable insect that pollinates a third of the food we eat. Bees are stewards of our seeds, plants and crops as they perform the necessary pollination to insure continued life on Earth for humans and plants.
Material and idea taken from ProjectApism. Here is their suggestion — In honor of the 45th Earth Day, help honey bees and beekeepers; buy an acre of bee habitat for $45. Visit www.ProjectApism.org, to see the “$45 for Forage” plea and buy an acre of bee habitat in honor of Earth Day! The bees, other beekeepers and I will thank you for helping Mother Earth. ProjectApis m will put your name in their next enewsletter (alongside mine)! And be sure to plant some flowers – that bees will forage – this earth Day. If you prefer, see Project Apis m appeal for funds for varroa research, It includes what Ramesh & students are doing at OSU.
