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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland moves towards locally sourced energy ... Vinting by numbers: Annual report released ... Judge sides with Ashland Gun Club ... Ashland moves towards locally sourced energy ... Vinting by numbers: Annual report released ... Judge sides with Ashland Gun Club ... COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR Many reasons to be grateful for bees Comment By Kristina Lefever Pollinator Project Rogue Valley DailyTidings.com By Kristina Lefever Pollinator Project Rogue Valley Posted Aug. 16, 2016 at 4:37 PM Updated Aug 16, 2016 at 5:31 PM By Kristina Lefever Pollinator Project Rogue Valley Posted Aug. 16, 2016 at 4:37 PM Updated Aug 16, 2016 at 5:31 PM » RELATED CONTENT Oregon Honey Festival --> The Oregon Honey Festival will be held at the Ashland Elks Lodge, 255 E. Main St., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on International Honey Bee Day, Saturday, Aug. 20. The fundraising event combines art, musi... » Read more X Oregon Honey Festival The Oregon Honey Festival will be held at the Ashland Elks Lodge, 255 E. Main St., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on International Honey Bee Day, Saturday, Aug. 20. The fundraising event combines art, music, honey tasting and honey bee conservation efforts. The festival is produced by the nonprofit Cascade Girl organization and its community partner, Ashland Parks and Recreation, as a fundraiser for pollinator education. Presale tickets are $8 and can be found at www.oregonhoneyfestival.com . Tickets are $10 at the door. Kids 8 years and under are free. • Oregon Honey Festival will be all about the bees • Got bees? Pollinator-friendly gardens to get recognition • Community Contributor: Loving the dandelions! • Ashland pollinators conference will feature Bee City USA leader... » Social News Thanks be to the bees! Thanksgiving is still a few months away, but August is the month to acknowledge and express gratitude to two creatures that help put food on our tables every day and sustain the world as we know it. You’ve probably guessed that one of these creatures is the honey bee, revered for its honey and pollination services, and recognized with International Honey Bee Day on Aug. 20 every year. In Ashland, all things honey bee will be celebrated at the third annual Oregon Honey Festival on Aug. 20 at the Historic Elks Lodge. The second creature we recognize this month is the native bee, of which there are about 500 different species in Oregon. Native bees are actually better pollinators than honey bees because they are able to fly earlier and later in the day, earlier and later in the year, and when the weather is less than ideal. Oregon is the first state to declare a special statewide day of conservation for wild and native bees, and celebrated its second annual Oregon Native Bee Conservation Awareness Day on Monday, Aug. 15. Thanks go to Lisa Arkin, executive director of Beyond Toxics, for petitioning Governor Kate Brown to recognize this day to bring awareness to the plight of Oregon’s native bees. Beyond Toxics works for all Oregonians to empower individuals and communities to find solutions that protect human and environmental health. After several massive bee-kills on sprayed linden trees, "we acted out of deep concern that native bees, such as bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees and the other 4,000 native bee species in North America, are at risk for precipitous population decline," said Arkin. Bumbles and other native bees are in jeopardy from environmental stresses including habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides. Pesticides such as glyphosate, neonicotinoids, 2,4-D, malathion, deltamethrin and others, singularly and together, impact both our native and honey bee populations. In fact, both the Western bumble bee and the Franklin’s bumble bee are feared to be extinct. Unlike honey bees, most native bees are solitary. If the queen bee does not return to her nest, her offspring will perish. Except for the queens that hibernate during the winter, most native bees live less than two months, so several healthy generations are needed each year to ensure the species survival. Some native bees, such as the orchard bee, fly only a few hundred yards in their lifetime, making high-quality, pesticide-free gardens even more critical. What can we do to help our native bees? Simple, really: • Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials, preferably native and drought-tolerant, that will bloom from February to October. And plant natives — your native bees will be happy! • Leave some out-of-the-way areas a little wild. Many species of native bees nest (and overwinter) in undisturbed areas under rocks and shrubs and inside plant stalks. • Provide a source of water — a shallow bowl or saucer with small rocks refilled every few days is sufficient. • Eliminate pesticides. Even organic products can be toxic to native bees and other beneficial insects, so be sure to read the label. Native bees and honey bees, along with butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds and bats, are responsible for one-third of the food we eat each day, and more than 70 percent of the flowering plants, shrubs, and trees around us. Let’s thank and acknowledge our bees every day of the year! Kristina Lefever is a member of Pollinator Project Rogue Valley and Bee City USA Ashland. By Kristina Lefever Pollinator Project Rogue Valley DailyTidings.com By Kristina Lefever Pollinator Project Rogue Valley Posted Aug. 16, 2016 at 4:37 PM Updated Aug 16, 2016 at 5:31 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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