Bayer Feed a Bee Initiative to plant 65 million flowers

Bayer is working to give bees access to a wider array of food to protect them from mites and diseases.
Bayer is working to give bees access to a wider array of food to protect them from mites and diseases. | File photo
The Bayer Feed a Bee Initiative has received pledges to plant more than 65 million flowers from more than 70 partner organizations and 256,000 citizens in the program’s initial year.

In addition to planting the flowers, the organizations and people also pledged to educate the people on the role bees play in the agricultural community.

"When we talk to the public, the most common question we hear is, ‘What can I do to help bees?” Becky Langer, manager of the North American Bee Care Program, said. “Providing pollinators with abundant, diverse food sources is one of the most important things we can all do to promote bee health. We created Feed a Bee to make it easy for people to be involved, and we are delighted with the overwhelming response. We look forward to getting even more people involved this year.”

Through the Feed a Bee program, Bayer is working to give bees access to a wider array of food to protect them from mites and diseases like the Varroa mite.

“We’ve seen some great news in pollinator health in the past year from increasing population numbers to heightened involvement from consumers and other stakeholders,” Bayer CropScience President and CEO Jim Blome said. “We still have much work to do to ensure the future health of our honey bee colonies, but we hope the foundation we have from Feed a Bee will continue to bring more partners to the table.”