While listening to the restless humming inside the hives, spring seemed a long way off this weekend. Though rumours of snowdrops persist and the daylight is stretching further, I’m impatient to open our hives and see whether our queens, Myrtle, Chamomile and Chili, have survived the winter. As I walked home, I remembered this inspiring TEDTalk by Marla Spivak, a researcher in bee behaviour and biology, and watched it again for a dose of honeybee. Here it is, in case you missed it.
TEDTalks Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing
Our fascination for this wonderful creature, the bee, grows as does our need for them. The bees are disappearing, while there is ‘Worldwide 300% increase in crop production requiring bee pollination’, says Marla. But her talk is hopeful because it reminds us that there is much we can do to help the bee. Get planting bee-friendly flowers for spring: RHS Perfect for Pollinators Plant List.
I hope you enjoyed this video as much as I do each time.
Marla’s talk is on TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/marla_spivak_why_bees_are_disappearing.html
Her bio is available on TED’s website: http://www.ted.com/speakers/marla_spivak.html
For more TEDTalks:
TED.com http://www.ted.com/
Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED
Mrs Apis Mellifera 
Great post! I am trying to put out the word for pollinator friendly plants by doing art posters with pictures of bee friendly plants. Any way that we can get this info out is valuable.
Marla really reminds us how much we need these creatures but also why we should appreciate them and how we can help. It’s one of my favourite TEDs! Glad you enjoyed watching it too. Hope you have lots of pollinator visitors to your garden this year!
I am learning about having hives here on my property. Bees dying is so sad and can have a devastating effect on us all! Thank you for sharing this post. So many need to know what is going on. “Go organic!”
It would be sad to lose such wonderful creatures. I hope the situation improves. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm!
I’m afraid to open my hive this year. It’s been a brutal winter. Last week when I thumped the hive it was quite a weak buzz. Sad.
A beekeeper at our apiary thinks hives survive harsh winters better than mild winters as the cold forces them to stay clustered and use less energy! Fingers crossed your bees are being too well behaved in their cluster to buzz!
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Thanks for posting that TED talk by Marla Spivak. I was happy that she talked about what we could do in our small way to help the situation out. Just by planting some easy-to-grow flowers in a poison-free area, we can help the bees and enjoy the colors too.
I’ve just visited your blogs and been watching the wonderful videos – lined up for some tweeting too! I love the poached egg meadowfoam best!
Hopefully Marla’s wise words will make a difference!
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