With gratitude to the bees

Bees – The Little Guardians of Ecosystems
Bees are among the most industrious creatures on our planet. Their role is of paramount importance for ecosystems and their preservation in our world.

Benefits of Bees
Wild bees ensure the growth of flowers and trees, which in turn serve as food and shelter for numerous wild species – small and large, insects, birds, and mammals. These tiny buzzing insects are closely linked to the Earth's biodiversity. Unfortunately, according to numerous studies, the possibility of their extinction from the face of the Earth seems increasingly realistic and imminent. Therefore, it is important to be proactive in the cause of their preservation.

World Bee Day
World Bee Day on May 20th aims to clarify the importance of these small pollinators; the direct danger they are in as a result of human intervention, as well as the consequences for our nature. This is a day to remember what each of us could do to restore the full natural life of bees.
 
Why are bees so important?
Pollination
The warm months bring beautiful colorful fruits and vegetables, and fragrant flowers and herbs. In fact, the little helpers of spring make all this possible. How? To sprout, plants must first be pollinated. This happens when bees spread pollen between male and female stamens. There are exceptions for some self-pollinating plants, but most of them need pollinators. And bees are experts at this. They land from flower to flower in search of nectar and leave behind small balls of pollen, which in turn allows plants to develop and bear fruit.

Sources of Living Food
As we already know, bees – including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees – are irreplaceable in pollination. Honeybees, for example, produce honey to feed their colonies during winter. For centuries, humans have benefited from the natural bounty created by bees. Another one is propolis, which they "produce" from the resin of evergreen trees and shrubs. They use it to protect their hives from germs and external influences. Propolis is also beneficial for human health with its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

Create Natural Habitats
The small yellow-and-black insects are key in creating natural habitats for millions of other animals – from savannas to tropical and deciduous forests. Even home gardens serve as "homes" for bees, and numerous other species rely on pollinators to preserve their own lives and the lives of plants within them.

Main Threats Faced by Wild Bees
Globally, bee populations are in decline due to the many natural disasters we face today. Many of them are directly related to the logging and burning of forests and pastures, due to human intervention or carelessness. Consciously or not, humans also play a key role in the fate of nature. It depends on us whether it will be positive or negative.

Destruction of Natural Habitats
The expansion of urban areas and invasive agricultural methods, as a result of an ever-increasing human population, are slowly but surely destroying the environment in which bees thrive. In the wild, bees most often use tree hollows for nests and natural hives, respectively, mass logging is directly linked to the disappearance of numerous bee colonies. Pastures and other natural areas rich in floral species are equally affected by the declining bee population, and in turn, fewer surviving bees lose their food source. Therefore, it is important to know how to break this vicious cycle, to help nature NOW.

Use of Pesticides
Due to their high toxicity, pesticides have a detrimental effect not only on numerous animal species inhabiting agricultural fields but also on our friends – the bees. Widely used neonicotinoids, for example, have a negative effect on the nervous system of these small insects, which in turn is fatal.

Climate Change
The climate change that we all feel in recent years, no matter where we are in the world, is a huge factor contributing to the damage to bee populations. With the shifting of seasonal time periods and periods of precipitation or sunny days, the bees' biological clock is also "shifted". This confuses their nesting periods, and also misleads the behavior of plants – from sprouting to flowering.

Invasive and Parasitic Species
Parasites, such as some types of mites, attach themselves to the backs of bees and slowly weaken them. Therefore, it is important to control the spread of parasites as much as possible, without excessive human intervention.

What will happen if bees disappear?

• Many of our favorite foods will no longer exist. Honeybees provide a harvest worth an average of over $30 billion annually. This harvest of diverse fruits is mainly provided by wild bees, so it is important to protect them. Without them, people will not be able to enjoy: apples, mangoes, peaches, kiwis, strawberries, cherries, avocados, coffee, sunflower products, onions, carrots, walnuts, and others. Cotton plants will not be able to bloom, which means that many of the fabrics for clothes currently offered will be scarce. Let's not forget that we would not be able to enjoy pancakes with honey, herbal tea, and everything else we would sweeten with the bee elixir.
• Raising animals for human consumption would become significantly more expensive, as the main food for livestock is plants.
• The field of medicine and consequently people would also be affected. It is good to know, for example, that the main ingredient in morphine is extracted from the poppy flower. The loss of the Earth's most important pollinator would mean losing the most widely applicable painkiller and anesthetic, and more.
• Without the different types of natural oils from which biofuel is extracted, we would have to rely only on fossil fuels, which are extremely harmful to nature.
• The cosmetic industry would slowly collapse under the pressure of rising prices for numerous plant-derived raw materials.
  
  How can we, as humans, help bees?
  Fortunately, it's not too late to make efforts to save our little buzzing friends! There are many ways we can protect them from extinction. Here are a few of them:
  
  1. Plant various types of plants that bees love. Whether we have a large yard, garden, or even just a balcony – they adore some of the easiest flowers and herbs to grow, such as clover, garden lilac, basil, elderflower, lavender, sunflower, oregano, echinacea, rosemary, and others.
  2. Place ready-made hives or homemade nests in a sunny spot in your yard or on your balcony. Bees need shelter to build their nests (hives). This will help local bees, and in return, your garden will bloom with beautiful colors.
  3. Supporting organizations and companies striving to preserve bee habitats and their health is also a good way to help the cause. Choosing products that are bee-friendly or those whose purchase provides a donation to organizations protecting bee colonies are steps in the right direction.
  
  Yogi Tea in the Cause
  YOGI TEA®'s motto is 'Be Good, Do Good, Bee Happy!' Being well-intentioned towards ourselves and nature, including bees, brings peace for the future, and that in turn makes us happy!
  
  The eternal mission of YOGI TEA® is to protect biodiversity.
  As we already know, wild bees are at the heart of our ecosystem. We strive to preserve the world of these small but incredibly hardworking insects, so that our world can continue to turn! And here comes the question: how could we protect wild bees while drinking tea? Bee Happy Tea is an aromatic blend of herbs and flowers, favorites of every bee. Ingredients such as chamomile, lavender, and mint are harvested after the intensive pollination period, when the flowers begin to fade. This provides a period during which bees can fully enjoy their nectar and do their most important task. Part of the initiative is to provide nesting boxes that YOGI TEA® gardeners can use in their gardens to attract more pollinating insects. This ensures natural pollination and clean, organic raw materials from herbs and flowers without pesticides for added value Yogi teas. The beloved organic yarrow and oregano are harvested by one of the gardeners with a special project that helps people with psychological problems find their place in society again, as well as jobs. Those curious to try Bee Happy Tea will become part of YOGI TEA®'s proactive methods for bee conservation!
  If you would like to learn more about the environmental protection campaigns that YOGI TEA® is part of, you can explore our work with the German Wildlife Foundation.