A Retirement Home for Bees

As humans, we grow old and require more support. But has anyone considered the little animals who help pollinate our world? The bees! Bees can spend up to 12 hours a day working, with a life span of about 60 days. That’s 720 hours in total! Bees live a very tiring life, and a company in the UK decided that these persistent insects deserve some rest and relaxation. Thus became the first-ever retirement home for bees! 

This specific retirement home pleases both the bees and the onlookers watching them. It is welcoming and useful for the bees because of the many resources available for the elderly. Some examples include a sugar water fountain and areas bursting with pollen. As for the humans, this little abode for the bees looks exactly like a tiny house! Little carpets, couches, and even a tiny walker make this house the perfect home. 

So why was this needed? Besides the aesthetic of it, there has been a recent decline in the population of bee species. Loss of their habitat, pesticides, and pollution are all causes of the decline. Unfortunately, all of those reasons are human-caused! The Borgen Project says, “35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce.” Less bees means less food for the people! So we currently rely on the bees, are harming the bees, and because of this retirement home, trying to help the bees! That is why it is so important for us to keep our little fuzzy friends alive. 

However, opening a retirement home for bees is usually unrealistic for most of us. So what can an average person do to help? First, we must think of the reasons that they are dying. Less flowers to pollinate, so you can plant more open petal flowers! Pesticides and fertilizers harm them, so stop using these harsh chemicals! Nobody seems to know about this issue, so let’s advocate! 

There are so many little ways that we wouldn’t even think of to keep our bees, and our world, safe. Let’s start today!