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Research Triangle Park, NC (PRWEB) August 23, 2013
Bayer CropScience, Bridging the Gap and Kansas City Missouri Parks and Recreation celebrated earlier this week the contribution of bees to the Kansas City landscape by planting a pollinator-friendly garden at Lakeside Nature Center in Swope Park. Volunteers transformed a 70×30-foot area of land to now feature year-round blooming trees, plants and flowers, all designed to create a suitable habitat for honey bees.
This collaboration with public, private and nonprofit stakeholders in Kansas City is aimed to raise awareness about the importance of honey bees to the area. During this weeks planting, representatives from Bayers Bee Care Program, Bridging the Gap and the parks and recreation department discussed Bayers commitment to bee health, the value bees provide to Kansas Citys parks and recreational spaces and their importance to our global food supply. More than 20 volunteers were onsite to assist in the planting process, in addition to local bee keepers who provided bees for an observation hive at the garden.
Bayer has been actively involved in finding solutions to improve honey bee health for more than 25 years, said Robyn Kneen, North America Manager of Bayers Bee Care Programs. Honey bees play a vital role in food production in todays global market, and its important that we remain committed to understanding and protecting an integral link in the agricultural process.
Bee health is accepted by the scientific community to be a complex issue. Research indicates that bees may be dying, not from a single toxin or disease, but rather from a variety of factors that include introduced pests and parasites, microbial diseases, inadequate diet, bee management practices, climate change and loss of genetic diversity.
Bayer is committed to collaboration with Kansas City residents to recognize the importance of protecting pollinators. In the U.S. alone, more than $ 15 billion of crops are annually pollinated by honey bees. They serve as pollinators for many of the crops that are necessary for feeding a growing population, and their health is essential to meet global food needs.
Bayer CropScience is working in local communities to create pollinator patches as a way to stress the importance of collaboration in support of honey bee health and sustainable agriculture. This Kansas City patch planting follows Bayers participation in National Pollinator Week (June 17-23), which included hosting employee, community and Congressional events aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of pollinator health.
Bayers Bee Care Program includes initiatives designed to further bee health research, engagement and discussion and bring Bayers extensive experience and knowledge in bee health under one platform. Bee Care Program initiatives include:
