Is there hope for the honey bee?

With media circulating reports of Colony Collapse Disorder, mysterious mass die-offs and parasite problems, some days is seems that our little pollinator friends are doomed. It’s a serious issue for most ecosystems and for human populations, considering that of 100 major crops, 70 are pollinated by bees. With so many factors aggravating the issue, it can seem impossible to find solutions and save the bees.

But some are hopeful.

Catherine Garvin, writer, researcher, author, and apiologist, launched what was to become the Bee Baseline Portland Project (BBPP) October 2011. She was motivated by the grim news of honeybee die-offs to learn about the lifecycle of bees, and their habitat. Her appreciation and admiration of the creatures grew, inspiring her to write and publish “Hope for the Honey Bee: How to Grow a Year-Round Bee Garden in 10 Easy Steps.” 

Garvin also continues to gather data and research through BBPP by mapping year-round the Portland urban area for bee-friendly shrubs and flowers. As she works towards nonprofit status, she hopes the invite the Portland community to join her work of cataloguing and planting bee-friendly plants.

This week at Portland Radio Project we featured the Bee Baseline Portland Project  as part of our award-winning Community Voices series. You can listen to interviews with Catherine Garvin, the project’s founder, below.

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