Seed Bombs - Creative Help for the Declining Honey Bee Population

Seed "Bombs"

It is very clear that there has been a major decline in the honeybee population. As an avid vegetable gardener I am very concerned.

Just a little background that many of you already have some familiarity with. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is the mysterious abrupt disappearance of worker bees from the bee colony. During the past 20 years, beekeepers around the world have observed this mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees, and unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies. These kinds of disappearances are not new and have occurred throughout the history of beekeeping. In the past they were known by various names - disappearing disease, spring dwindle, May disease, autumn collapse. More recently the syndrome was renamed colony collapse disorder in light of this drastic rise in the number of disappearances of western honeybee colonies in North America and Europe.  

Colony collapse disorder is significant economically and effects all of us because so many agricultural crops are pollinated by honey bees. The whys and hows of CCD and the reasons for its increasing prevalence remain unclear and controversial. Many possible causes have been proposed: pesticides, primarily neonicotinoids; infections with varroa mites; malnutrition; various pathogens;  genetic factors; loss of habitat; changing beekeeping practices; or a combination of these.

One simple way we can help is to increase pollinator habitat by planting native wildflower seeds all over the place. Check out this video showing what the company that makes Seedles, has done. Seedles are wild flower seeds encased in clay balls made of seed bombs. that can be hand broadcast and This company -

Aerial Seed Bombing

Here are links to a few resources that show a simple way we can help that is much more than just a symbolic gesture with no substance - you are actually doing something constructive.

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/nature-and-technology/save-the-honeybee-sterilize-the-earth-pollination-industrial-complex-95566/

http://growtherainbow.com/

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/diy-seed-bombs

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/edb1/

Fresh Produce Seasonality Guide

Eat seasonally and buy locally grown whenever you can! 

Here's a convenient cheat sheet to help you do that. It's a seasonality guide to fresh produce, listing the basic stuff that you can find in most grocery stores, as well as some uncommon specialty items, by the time of year they are typically available "in season". That's when they're the freshest, most flavorful AND the cheapest. It's nice how it works out that way. 

Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter	Year Round
Apricots Artichokes Asparagus Broccoli Chives Collard Greens English Peas Fava Beans Fennel Fiddlehead Green Beans Honeydew Mango Morel Mushrooms Mustard Greens Oranges Limes Pea Pods Pineapple Ramps Rhubarb Snow Peas Sorrel Spinach Spring Baby Lettuce Strawberries Sweet Corn Sugar Snap Peas Swiss Chard Vidalia Onions Watercress	Apricots Beets Bell Peppers Blackberries Blueberries Boysenberries Cantaloupe Casaba Melon Cherries Crenshaw Melon Cucumbers Eggplant Figs Garlic Grapefruit Grapes Green Beans Green Peas Honeydew Melons Kiwifruit Lima Beans Limes Loganberries Nectarines Okra Peaches Persian Melons Plums Radishes Raspberries Strawberries Sweet Corn Summer Squash Tomatillo Tomatoes Watermelon Zucchini	Acorn Squash Apples Belgian Endive Bok Choy Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Butternut Squash Cauliflower Celery Root Chayote Squash Cherimoya Coconuts Cranberries Diakon Radish Garlic Ginger Grapes Guava Huckleberries Kohlrabi Kumquats Mushrooms Parsnips Pear Persimmons Pineapple Pomegranate Pumpkin Quince Rutabagas Sweet Potatoes Swish Chard Turnips Winter Squash Yams	Apples Belgian Endive Bok Choy Brussels Sprouts Cherimoya Chestnuts Coconuts Dates Grapefruit Kale Leeks Mushrooms Oranges Parsnips Pear Persimmons Pummelo Radicchio Red Currents Rutabagas Sweet Potatoes Tangerines Turnips Winter Squash Yams	Avocados Bananas Cabbage Carrots Celery Lemons Lettuce Onions Papayas Bell Peppers Potatoes

Essential Kitchen/Cooking Reference Guides and Diagrams

Found this article - "22 Genius Kitchen Diagrams About Cooking. Seriously, These Are Awesome" on Life Buzz. Here a few of the guides just so you get the idea, but visit the site - http://www.lifebuzz.com/kitchen-wizard/#!WAcCi - to see all of them. I know you will print out some of them.