Etsy HoneyBee Helpers Team

Merry Christmas Honey Bees

2009-12-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what bees do during winter?

The survival of the bee through the cold months of winter is largely dependent upon the particular kind of over 1,000 species to which it belongs. Generally speaking, the social bees do not summer in the South during the winter, as do migratory birds, but, instead, live or die in their natural environs.

The young queen bumblebee, who earns her title by being the one egg-laying female, or queen mother, in the colony of social bees, does survive the winter. She does so by burrowing out a hold in a well-drained sandbank, or simply by taking the easy way out by moving into a pre-owned home, such as a deserted mouse nest. Once settled into her nest, she plays happy homemaker and makes beebread from the nectar and the pollen she collected all summer, dumps the load of bread, lays eggs on it, covers it with wax, and relaxes atop it.

Approximately 250,000 eggs later, her Highness washes her hands of the whole thing, and leaves the work to her offspring. As soon as the workers, or fertilized, but non-egg producing females sprout wings, they set to work, and only later get assistance in the form of drones, or unfertilized males. The workers bees and drones, who toiled for the queen all summer, are rewarded for their efforts by a certain death in winter. No bother...they are easily replaced by cheap labor, when the queen lays more eggs in the spring, and puts her new brood to work.

Her counterpart, the young queen honeybee, earns her title by being the first of the special queen cells to emerge, and literally kills her competition, her sisters, in their queen cells, before they have the chance to emerge. The colony she rules is the epitome of efficiency, as it adapts to endure a full range of adverse climates. This species of honey-producing bee, ergo the honeybee, winters in a temperature-controlled hive. The worker bee thermostatically controls his hive with great precision, ensuring that the temperature in the hive's nursery, where baby bees are developing, is maintained at 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the temperature in the remainder of the hive does not drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The worker bees accomplish this winter task by fueling up on the honey that they have stored, and by releasing heat as they feast.

The honeybee wisely keeps a stash of honey for himself, after the beekeeper has had his take, thus benefiting from his labor in the warmer months. The social bees utilize these months in a productive manner, by buzzing from flower to flower, sucking up the flowers' nectar as they bumble along. The nectar the bees extract from the flower flows to their honey sacs, which are enlargements of their digestive tracts, and are located in front of the belly of the bees.

Here, the sugars from the sweet nectar of the flower, chemically transform, and are reduced through the honeybee's built-in mechanism to evaporate large quantities of water contained in the nectar. The honeybee stores the end product, honey, both internally, and externally. Pooh-like "honeypot" cells store the thinner version of honey, honey with a short "shelf-life," and honeycombs, the more concentrated version, honey with the "shelf-life" of canned goods in wartime. In a sense, the honeybee is preparing to combat, and to survive, the bitter winter months that lie ahead.

(from Cool Quiz)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

September Team Challenge

2009-08-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

I would like to submit a September Team Challenge on our Blog!

I ask the team members to take a tour of some of the other team members shops and find inspiration for an entry of your own. Then post the original inspiration and your new creation here on the blog . It's a great way to see the talents of our other team members and to get a creative boost of your own.

This challenge will not be subject to a vote. Enter as many as you want. But we will have a team art show blog after the dealine to see each others work and to make comments.

The challenge will close September 30. I hope you all participate and we get to know each other better! Looking forward to inspiration!

Love, Honeybeads

Sorry to report, CCD has come to our team!

2009-08-01T06:19:00.001-07:00

Due to non-popular demand, our team challenge was cancelled and no further date has been established.

It is common practice (or non practice, in this case) to check in on the Ning website in order to coordinate and keep informed with the team's happenings, only since most members don't check in on Ning, it's impossible to run a team!

If you have any suggestions or input concerning how to revive the Etsy Honey Bee Helpers team, then please post your suggestions and comments here. Unfortunately, as with many things in life, the good intentions are there, but without action, nothing can happen.

Over and out!

Wishing you well and happy trails...

Update: Early Summer Team Challenge delayed!

2009-05-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Come to your hive, gather around and hear the buzz!

Attention, fellow Honey Bee Helpers! The deadline to enter our contest has been POSTPONED for a month.

The NEW deadline to enter our Early Summer Team Challenge is now:

Thursday, July 23, 2009.

Maybe that will give everyone some extra time to complete your challenge item so that we will have more contestants for more fun ... and more excitement!

Keep those creative juices flowing and think: beach - flowers - summer fruits (thanks to our busy honey bee we have plenty to chose from) palm trees - ice cream - outdoor grilling - whatever reminds you of summer. The possibilities are endless!

I wait all year for these sweet jewels of summer: thank you, little honey bee!

Green Tip: Plant yourself some herbs!

2009-05-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Plant some herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes!
You can start from seeds, or buy baby plants and bring them home.

You can put them in your garden outside (make sure they aren't in a spot where wild animals will decide to mark them, though! Eewwwww!), or plant them in pots and place them in a bright and sunny window!

You'll save money from buying herbs at the grocery store, and save on packaging, too!
Plus, fresh herbs taste better than dried ones AND they're better for you- all the nutrients are still in tact!

Keep your herb garden organic. If you find that some of your yummies are being destroyed by bugs (caterpillars love parsley!), perhaps you could plant extra for them, since pollinators need all the help they can get! Or, clean them off and move your herbs indoors away from those who partake in them.

Treasury! May 23 :)

2009-05-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

Sweet Sea Honeybees- treasury featuring greens and blues from our wonderful team!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=59920

Visit! Click! Give our team some love that it deserves :)

Have a great weekend!

-Samantha

Treasury West- May 20!

2009-05-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Bees, we have a new Treasury!

Thanks to Doris for creating this one!

See it here- click, comment, click some more and give it some love ;)
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=54645

Green Tip of the week.. "Off White"

2009-05-20T09:01:00.001-07:00

From my "Page A Day" Calendar from May 17- which isn't today, but I liked this tip :)

Try to break the association between snowy white paper products and cleanliness. White paper products are bleached with chlorine or chlorine derivatives, which release dioxins- known carcinogens and endocrine disrupters- into the environment. (Plus, the chlorine industry itself is amajor source of neurotoxic mercury emissions.) So seek out products labeled Processed Chlorine Free (PCF). Same goes for cotton linens- a pure white product has most likely been treated with toxic bleach.

Honeybee Helpers EARLY SUMMER CHALLENGE!

2009-05-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

It's on, bees!

The new team Challenge entry is "A Day at the Beach" (Theme picked by Doris, winner of our previous team challenge).

Please go to the Ning page to see more details about the challenge. And please try to get over to Ning once a week and post something (even just a hello in the Team Chat thread) so we know you're still part of the team!

Thanks everybody!!

Spring Challenge... Please vote!

2009-04-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

Our theme for this month was Spring!
All of the team challenge entries will be posted here, with a poll that will run for a week. Everyone can vote on the entries and share the link to our blog with as many folks as you can!
Winner gets a small gift and gets to pick the next challenge theme!!

Here are the entries:

CottonEyedJo created this cute little Bluebonnet Elf:

Greenbriar created a great Beekeeper's moss terrarium, complete with a bee!!

GreenGoddessHerbals created a lovely Lilac soap...

Doris has croched a cute little Bee accent pillow:

Fat Cat Crafts created an adorable honeybee and fuschia flower pin cushion set:

LonesomeRoadStudio illustrated this 5x5 artwork titled "Grow":

SamanthasArtStudio painted an 8x10 Tulip Tree Flower:

And Honeybeads created this "Nectar Flow" necklace, described in her own words,
"My entry is a necklace in spring colors of aqua, greens and blues to represent the flow of nectar and the dance the bees use to show the colony the direction of the blooms"

We'll have the poll running for about a week, so get your friends and family and other teams to vote! And let's share the thread on Etsy as much as we can and get as many votes as possible!

Everyone's entries are great, guys! Thanks for contributing!!

Green Tip of the week!

2009-04-23T07:41:00.001-07:00

Who celebrated Earth Day yesterday?

Here is a great trailer for a series called "Waste?"

http://www.whatiswaste.com/

I wanted to share this to get everyone thinking twice about what they throw away. Chances are it can be reused or recycled somehow. All you have to do is check around locally for the right place to take it!

Staples accepts ink jet cartridges and most other electronics.
Nike has a program for recycling shoes.
If you don't have curb-side recycling, you probably have a place nearby where you can take it. Walk or ride a bike there if you can! You'll get exercise and cut down your emissions.
Most Home Depot stores will recycle your CFL bulbs.

Just do a little bit of digging around, or call your local trash/recycling collectors and they should be able to help you out! :)

Bee Green!! Greep tip of the week...

2009-04-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

This tip is about paper. Sugar cane paper!

Sugar Cane paper is made from a by-product (Bagasse) of sugar cane farming. It is biodegradable (faster than regular paper) and easily recyclable too!
Here is a little more info:
http://www.thesugarcanepapercompany.com/

Planet Green has a GREAT article here
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/request-sugar-cane-paper.html
about requesting sugar cane paper in your office. Or, you can use it at home in your own home office!

Sugar Cane paper does not contribute to loss of trees.

Staples has sugar cane based notepads (Awesome!), and this paper from Green Line Paper is 50% bagasse and 50% recycled content.

Interesting Bee Article

2009-04-04T09:29:00.001-07:00

Bee Brains Morph to Avoid Mid-Life Crisis!

Bee Green! Weekly green tip...

2009-04-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

If you liked the show "Bill Nye the Science Guy" (he's so cute!), you'll love this!

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/stuff-happens/

Bill Nye is back, rockin' his bowtie with a new show on Planet Green. Each episode has a different theme and they discuss how everything we do makes things happen to the environment. The show is full of interesting facts and tips on what you can do to be more environmentally friendly.

Even if you don't get the channel, you can learn a lot from following the link above and reading different sections from the show.

Glad to see you back, Bill!! :)
*Swooooooooooon*

Silly bee stuff

2009-03-30T11:49:00.001-07:00

For anyone who loves "Family Guy" :)

Weekly Green Tip

2009-03-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

From my "Page A Day" Green Tips calendar...

"A rechargeable solar flashlight is a brilliant alternative to one that eats up conventional batteries. Buy one- or two or three- from www.sunnightsolar.com, and the company will match your order, for people who need them desperately. (Nearly two billion people worldwide have only one option for lighting at night: a dangeous, expensive kerosene lantern.)

Weekly Green Tip

2009-03-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Pollinator Week this year is June 22-28th, and www.pollinator.org is already keeping us up-to-date with events as different states announce them!

(image courtesy of www.pollinator.org - to get your own, click here!)

http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2009.htm

Is your state listed as participating?

If not, BEE sure to write to your governor!
The link above provides all the information you will need to get in touch with your governor and even includes a sample letter.

Let's bring some awareness to our local pollinators! If your state has no events listed, how about getting the wheels turning to organize one? Last year, Whole Foods grocery stores participated in several areas. If you've got stores that sell local products, especially local honey, most likely they'd be willing to run some sort of promotion that week. Even if you just print out some information about local pollinators, and drop it off for the store to display during pollinator week, it's creating a lot of awareness that otherwise wouldn't be out there!

You can contact local beekeepers and see if they are doing anything to celebrate pollinator week. Maybe you can coordinate something fun with them.

You can put together a local craft show, and rent spaces for a fee, then donate part of the proceeds to a pollinator charity such as www.pollinator.org.

There are lots of things you can do, and I know June seems soooo far away- but organization takes time (contacting people, doing research, staying in touch, coordination) and it would be great to start now!

http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2009.htm
This same link also has a plethora of information you can use in organizing your own Pollinator week event.

If the idea of organizing an event seems intimidating, that's okay! If you start putting out feelers to others in your community (beekeepers, gardeners, crafters, organic food markets, farmers markets, etc.) who might be interested in doing something, chances are you'll get other ideas and offers from people to help and before you know it, you'll be up and running!

Return of the Honeybee documentary

2009-03-16T13:32:00.001-07:00

For the past two years Hive Mentality Films (made up of me and my co-director George Langworthy) have been traveling the world in service to the bees and their plight. We;ve traveled to more than ten states as well as Australia, England, France and Germany.

We are now about to launch into our final edit. (we recently pre-viewed a rough version of our film for the opening night of the Environmental Film Festival in D.C. where 500 people showed up.) This film will be seen in theaters all around the world as we believe that education is the best way for people to realize the crucial role these beneficials play in our lives. Our film also addresses big agriculture and the need to return to a way of bee-ing where nature presides over economy.

For the first year George and I were paying things out of pocket and placing things on credit. We now have matching funds of $150,000 but we are still in need of monies to finish with post production. Part of our mandate will be to eventually offer this film online for free. We are also going to create a special 30 minute version to offer kids during a school tour.

And we are also going to start an outreach program Hive in Every Home and Bee Loving Etsians could help in these efforts. Our film offers solutions and we speak to Jay Feldman from Beyond Pesticides as well as Michael Pollan.

We need your help! Please spread the word and if you know anyone who can donate, every dollar is matched and is tax deductible since we have non profit status.

We have a fundraiser coming up Mill Valley on April 3rd where we will be showing excerpts of our film and offering a yummy meal. Let me know if you'd like the invite.

I've been keeping a blog for two years on CCD and our adventures. www.vanishingbees.com
You can also come and see our trailer www.vanishingbees.com/trailer.html

thank you!
maryam
maryam@vanishingbees.com

Weekly Green Tip!

2009-03-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

After a temporary break (busy schedule), I'm back with a green tip for this week!

This is similar to the gray water tip, as it has to do with watering your plants...

You can keep a bucket outside to collect rainwater for your houseplants, or small individual outdoor plants. Since Spring is coming, it's usually a time of a lot of rain and showers for most people, so if you put your bucket(s) out soon, you'll be collecting water in no time!

You can use an old 5-gallon bucket (make sure it didn't contain any harsh chemicals though, like chlorine- unless you're using this on a plant you HATE), or an old tub from a product (such as margarine) to collect a little bit of water, or even an old drinking glass. Any container will work! When my container filled up and I didn't need all of the water, I just stored it away for later- in an old gallon bottle with a lid or something like that.

At my old house, I kept a bucket under a place where our gutters had a leak. That bucket filled up with even just a little bit of rain! So if you've got a gutter issue and need a LOT of water, that may be a good place for your collecting.

New HoneyBee Helpers Team Challenge

2009-03-04T05:49:00.000-08:00

We are starting a new Challenge today and entries will be accepted through Thursday, April 23rd. That gives us almost two months to create! Voting will start the following day, on Friday, April 24th and will end April 30th, 2009. This time, there will be a thread on the Etsy Forum so that other Etsians can vote on our entries as well. I think this will add an additional element of excitement and exposure for our team. The winner will receive a small gift from me and also gets to pick the next challenge theme.

My pick for this month is "Spring" and everything that typically relates to spring, like blossoms, daffodils, tulips, butterflies and, of course, bees... baby chicks and bunnies (Easter) and anything you would like to add that represents a new beginning.

Spring is a wonderful and exciting season! I always enjoy looking at the young green little leaves pushing through and the delicate blossoms on the trees...it's a marvelous time to be alive!

REMEMBER to post your entry on Ning here:
http://etsyhoneybeehelpers.ning.com/forum/topics/honey-bee-helpers-team

Good luck and have fun with this challenge.

On your marks, get set, go........!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to our Challenge Winner Doris!!

2009-03-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Doris created "Buzz the Spiffy Caller" for the "Love" themed team challenge and won by popular vote!!
Doris gets to pick the theme for the next challenge, and will be receiving a bee-themed bracelet in the mail as her challenge prize!

Congratulations Doris!!
Let us know what our next theme will be! :)

Colony Collapse Disorder Showing Up Again in East Coast Hives - thedailygreen.com

2009-02-17T14:57:00.001-08:00

Hi all,

I ran across this post by Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture Magazine.

Colony Collapse Disorder Showing Up Again in East Coast Hives - thedailygreen.com

Posted using ShareThis

Team Challenge: LOVE entries!

2009-02-17T09:14:00.000-08:00

All of the team challenge entries will be posted here- once I make sure that all entries have been posted, I'll put up a poll and run it for a few days and everyone can vote on the entries!
Winner gets a small gift from me and gets to pick the next challenge theme!!

Here are our entries:

Doris created Buzz, the Spiffy Caller
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20142010

Honeybeads created a beautiful necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20190656

BumbleBabyMommy created an adorable bib:

LonesomeRoadStudio created a beautiful pendant:

(Sorry folks, it's already sold!!) :)

FatCatCrafts created a Valentine Bee in a Box!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19414571

SamanthasArtStudio created a "Bee Mine" Valentine Card:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20363787

Weekly Green Tip: Dishwasher Soap

2009-02-11T20:38:00.001-08:00

This week's tip comes from team member BumbleBabyMommy's blog: How to make your own dishwasher soap!!

http://bumblebabymommy.blogspot.com/2009/01/save-on-dishwasher-soap.html

It only ends up costing about 8 cents a load, so you'll save money while you save the environment! Click and read the blog for more information on why this detergent is so great.

Here's how it's done:

Mix together 1 tablespoon of Borax and 1 tablespoon of Baking soda. Then put it into the soap compartment of your dishwasher and run the dishwasher as you normally would.

I wanted to say that a few days ago I made this detergent and used it, and yes indeed it DOES work well!! My dishes were cleaned to perfection and not only that, but I didn't have that obnoxious bleachy smell permeating through the house that most dishwasher detergents tend to create.

Another Honeybee Helpers Treasury! Actually, 2!

2009-02-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=37873

It's very similar to the last treasury, just a couple things switched around. I liked the colors and composition so much and really thought it might get a lot of hits!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=37742

Co-QueenBee SturmDM created this lovely treasury as well. There are so many beautiful things in the team's stores!!!

These are in Treasury and not Treasury West...
Maybe they will make the front page. Take a look! Click! Comment! We love it! :)

Weekly Green Tip! Pet poop clean up.

2009-02-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Many people with pets justify the use of regular nasty plastic grocery bags with cleaning up their pets' poop.

But have you heard of biodegradable poop bags? If you've got to throw away poop from pets, it's a great solution.

Here's another idea- while not as perfect as the idea above, it's a way to reuse something that would otherwise be thrown out anyway: Why not use another readily available bag? ...Sure, if you're trying to be more green, you're choosing items with less packaging and waste. But let's face it- some items will come in a bag and there is nothing you can do about it. Bread, chips, a lot of crackers and cookies... these all usually come in a sealed bag. You can re-use this bag for picking up after the pets instead.

For a cat's litterbox, some recommend flushing. However, if you leave near a coastal area or near rivers or other water sources, it's best not to flush it. Sea otters are being infected with a toxin that could be coming from the flushed cat poop and litter. The best solution is, again, a biodegradable plastic bag.

Before reading further, keep in mind:
Do NOT use cat or dog poop in compost that will be going on or anywhere near your vegetable garden!!!
Their poo contains toxins that you don't want coming near anything you eat. Eewwwww.

You can compost your cat's poop and litter remnants:
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2005/09/26/kittylitter/index.html

If you are interested in composting your dog's doody for gardens without vegetables, here's an article about how you can:
http://www.plentymag.com/features/2007/12/the_green_fiend.php

Another Treasury! Wooooo!!!

2009-02-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Take a look!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=41911
Pass it on! :)

Marie Antoinette Bracelet

2009-01-31T15:03:00.001-08:00

Marie Antoinette Bracelet
Originally uploaded by honeybeads

This was a special order from someone who LOVED the movie, "Marie Aontoinette". I used pink and aqua glass beads and pearls. And added birds, painting of Marie, a little french dog, silver shoe and even a slice of cake! More photos on our flickr site.

TREASURY TODAY!!!

2009-01-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hooray for our wonderful team! Look at all these fabulous Valentine goodies available from the Honeybee Helpers!
Check out our treasury!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=41505

February Challenge Entry

2009-01-29T20:35:00.001-08:00

For the February challenge, I created two lovey-dovey bug Valentine (or any time) cards! They are in the cards section of my Etsy shop.

I created two little (about 5" x 5") works of art which I scanned in, added some text and a background to the design on my computer. Then I printed them onto fine art paper, and mounted them onto light green cardstock- it was fresh and bright and springy, but since I had Valentines day in mind, I'm going to have to go find some red cardstock and make a couple more. But getting the art itself done was the difficult and time consuming part, so here are the two cards! :)

The honey bee and rose was done in pastels and black ink.

The lady bug and grass art was done with colored pencils and black ink.

I'll probably eventually sell the original art, too- I would like to frame it and mat it though, since they are small, and I think that would make a nice presentation.

Weekly Green Tip: Birthdays!! And Laundry --BONUS!

2009-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Since it's still early in the year, it's a great time to plan ahead for all of the birthday gifts you will be giving this year!

So this year, why not pick one green/eco-friendly item to give everyone on your birthday-gifts-list? It'll make shopping so much easier, and maybe you'll influence some friends or family to be a little more green this year!

Some great gift suggestions that everyone (well, almost everyone!) can use:

- An aluminum reusable water bottle (posted about these last week). You can get a high-end one from a company like Sigg, but if you're looking to spend a little less, Old Navy has some reusable aluminum bottles too. At full price they were $7.50, but Old Navy has great sales all the time and you could probably stock up on them if you bargain hunt!

- On a similar note, a travel coffee/tea/hot beverage mug. If you always keep a clean one in your car, the next time you stop for a coffee you won't have to use another paper cup/plastic lid! ...This is great for long road trips! You can also put iced drinks like iced teas and chais and iced coffees in them too, of course. No more plastic cups!

- How about supporting the handmade community on a site like Etsy and giving everyone a handmade item this year? Or if you're crafty... make the items yourself! Everyone loves a personalized piece of art.

- If the recipient has a yard, look into a plant store that sells local plants and flowers, and buy them a flowering plant that's native to the area. They'll have minimal care to maintain it since it's used to the conditions of the area, and the pollinators will love you for it!

- Keeping with the local theme- if you can find a local farm or orchard, look into homemade jams and jellies, sauces, and other local farmed canned goods.

- Laundry products. Everyone has to do laundry, right? So why not make it greener? Give the gift of eco-friendly laundry and send the ingredients needed to make your own detergent, along with a couple of dryer balls!

Recipe for homemade powder laundry detergent:

1 cup shredded bar soap
Fells Naptha works well (Zote is also recommended), you can use a cheese grater and then turn the little grated curls into a powder with a food processor- but it's not necessary. Another tip is to leave the soap out for a week or so to dry out a little before you shred it. It makes the soap easier to shred and more powdery.
1/2 cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer makes it). This is sometimes hard to find, but call and ask around, or order a bunch online.
1/2 cup borax (you can find this with the cleaning supplies or with the laundry supplies)

All you need is one tablespoon per load of wash. I open the washing machine and turn on the hot water until it's about an inch deep. Then I turn off the water, add my detergent, and mix it around with an old wooden spoon until it dissolves. It won't be foamy. Then I switch the water to cold and let the machine fill up about half way and then I add my clothes. I've heard it's best to let the water dilute some before adding the clothes as some of the chemicals can make a peroxide and you don't want to bleach your dark clothing by adding it too quickly.

And if you need dryer balls, Etsy is a great place to look for them!

Add a comment if you've got some more great eco-friendly gift ideas!!

Dear Mythbusters,

2009-01-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Mythbusters,

On behalf of the many hapless honeybees who are falling victim to CCD: How about next time you feature a segment on killing them (whether the myth is busted or not), you kindly remind your viewers that it is not necessary to ever kill a swarm of honeybees at all, but instead, call a local beekeeper who would probably be more than happy to have them. If that beekeeper does not want them, it's likely that they can refer you to someone who does!

The honeybees would greatly appreciate your popular show bringing some awareness to CCD and enlightening the viewers that there IS a humane way to rid their property of honeybees.

Sincerely,
The Honeybee Helpers

Meet "Buzz, the Spiffy Caller"

2009-01-24T12:17:00.001-08:00

Doris of Honey Bee Crochet http://www.SturmDM.Etsy.com created this Valentine's Bee Shelf Sitter for our HoneyBee Helpers Team Challenge. He is a OOAK original, designed and created by Doris. He was crocheted entirely freestyle (without a pattern.) Buzz has all sorts of embellishments to make him attractive, like heart shaped wings, a buzz hair do and perky antennae, a lady bug on his nose for good luck when he asks "Bee Mine" for Valentine's Day as he's giving you his heart (with a little pink satin rose.) He even has a stinger, but it's just for show. He's wearing yellow booties with a pony bead on top of each.

His bottom is stuffed with rice and polyester fiberfill to keep him sitting securely on the shelf. He measures 9" from head to bum, 15" in circumference (around his belly.)

You can see more of him here
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20142010

Buzz is for decoration only and NOT a toy. He is purely for enjoyment and meant to make you smile!

Doris enjoyed making him because he represents her love of bees and the HoneyBee Helpers team member friendships that unite us in our mutual concern for the environment and the world in which we live.

THE END

Team LOVE Challange!

2009-01-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

Dearest Honeybee Helpers,

Our team has a brand new challenge! The theme of the challenge is "LOVE."
Your challenge item can be love interpreted quite literally, with pinks, reds, hearts, and very-Valentine, etc. It could also be an item designed for a wedding. It could be an item modeled after something (or someone) that you love- such as, if you love nature, you could do an eco-friendly item. If you love bees (and I'm sure you do!), you could do any item you like and donate the proceeds to a CCD research to show your love for bees.

The list of ideas incorporating love is endless!

The challenge entries are due by February 14.

Please take pictures of your challenge entry, and then post them on the Ning or here on the blog (or both), with a short paragraph about the item.

On February 15, I'll post all the challenge entries here on the blog together and then we'll start a poll and vote on them. Whoever wins the challenge gets a special surprise :)

Part of the prize is still TBD, but you'll get a small gift from me at the very least.

Even if you're posted and sold your item before the due date of February 14, of course it will still be in the running so we can vote on it.

On the Etsy Gift Guides, there are a bunch of ideas in the "Season of Love" category so if you're feeling stuck, check that out!

Buzzin' on home now,

-Samantha

BEE Green Tip! NO MORE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!

2009-01-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

Buy yourself a reusable bottle and fill it up from the tap at home. If the taste of your tap water is unsatisfactory, you may be able to purchase an inexpensive filter to improve the taste.

The Earth Policy Institute estimates that it takes about 1.5 MILLION barrels of oil to make the plastic water bottles Americans use each year. And 77% of those end up in a landfill.
WHAT A WASTE!

These reusable Sigg bottles have gotten great reviews online, and unlike the plastic bottles, they DON'T leach dangerous chemicals into your drink!
www.mysigg.com

This one is even black and yellow, which is a great reminder (for anyone who cares about bees, and if you're reading this blog, I hope you do!) that a cleaner environment is better for the bees!

Another great thing about having a reusable bottle is that you can take it anywhere. You can bring an empty one to the airport, and then fill it up from a drinking fountain after you pass through security. This eliminates waste from bottles on the airplane during beverage service. And in case you didn't already know, a lot of airlines are now charging for the drinks they serve- soda, tea, coffee, juice, and yes- water.

This bottle will pay for itself in no time!

Sigg offers many sizes of bottles, so if carrying around a big liter bottle seems a bit daunting, they also offer smaller bottles.

There are other companies on amazon.com and a few other sites that offer similar bottles to the Sigg bottle, so you can look around for a great bargain from different brands. Just be sure that it's made from something that won't leach chemicals into your drink!

BEE GREEN!

A Good Sign -- Dead Bees!

2009-01-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

It has been snowing in central Pennsylvannia and last time I went out to the hive there were several dead bees on the ground. I smiled. My bees are alive!
In winter the hive is ghostly quiet and appears to be dead. But inside the bees have huddled into a cluster surrounding the queen. They maintain a temp of 90F by muscle contractions. Basically they’re shivering to produce heat. Maintaining the cluster at all costs, bees carry and pass honey from the perimeter to the center. They cannot leave its warmth to seek out stores farther away in the hive. They can starve to death just inches from honey. Dedicated unconditionally to colony welfare, a starving bee will pass the last drop of honey forward rather than consume it.
On sunny days some bees will fly outside to defecate since they are fastidious when it comes to cleanliness within the hive. Unfortunately, just because the sun is out doesn’t mean they’ll make it back without falling to the ground, particularly when the temps are still barely above freezing.
I must wait till spring to inspect the hive, but these bee losses are usually a sign of a healthy colony.
Keeping warm,
Lorrie (Honeybeads)

Weekly Green Tip: Gray Water!

2009-01-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

Another great tip from my Page-A-Day green living calendar:

"Leave a bucket (with a handle) in the shower to fill up with 'gray water while you lather up, or to bail out your bath when you've finished soaking. This water is perfect for plants (except for anything you plan to eat), the lawn, or washing the car. "

So don't use the water on herbs :)

MEMBERS! Weekly Chats!

2009-01-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

PSA to the members of the team!

We'll now be having weekly chats every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

To attend the chats, go to www.Etsy.com, and then click "Community." Then click "Chat."

The team chat room will be called Honeybee Helpers Chat. It will be password protected and the password can be found on Ning!

I understand that there will be some who can't make that time each week, as it's so hard to accommodate everyone's schedule. But if you can make it, please stop in! Even if you can only stay a few minutes, that would be great- that way if we're discussing something specific, you can give us your input, then be on your way.

Also if you go to Etsy Chat close to 2:00 and don't see the chat room anywhere, absolutely feel free to start the room. It's pretty easy.

If any earth-shattering things are discussed or decided during the chats, if I am there I will try and post a summary here on the blog and on Ning.

-Samantha

Bee Kind, Bee Green

2009-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

A lot of scientists and researchers have been suggesting the frightening idea that the honeybee here on Earth is the equivalent of a canary in a coal mine... And that the disappearance of honeybees is a sign that something is very, very wrong with our planet: Global Warming. Climate Change. Call it whatever you like, it's not good for anyone.
Here's a great article with a lot of facts- http://blog.targethealth.com/?p=58

I've heard the phrase, "Bee keeping is Planet keeping" so I thought it would be interesting and relevant to provide some greener-living tips on the blog- hopefully as a weekly thing. You can even look at the weekly tips as a personal challenge if you are following the blog- with each weekly tip, if you aren't already doing what the tip suggests, then find a way to get started!

This week's tip from Page-A-Day Calendars (from January 2):
"If you're a carnivore, aim to cut your meat intake in half this year. Meat takes more resources to produce than other forms of protein, so it's an inefficient source of fuel."

For an example of the resources to produce a pretty common food, here's an article about the carbon footprint (energy that it takes) to create a cheeseburger. The article goes into detail about just how much energy it takes to actually raise a cow to an age where it is be old enough to be slaughtered- how much food that cow will need to eat and how much energy is needed to feed the cow- and also gives an estimate of how much methane gas that cow will produce while it is alive.

This is just one example of one kind of food and one kind of meat.

The Simsons raise honeybee/CCD awareness!

2008-12-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Season 20, episode 8: "The Burns and the Bees"

You can watch it here:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/47616/the-simpsons-the-burns-and-the-bees

Sure, it's silly- it's the Simpsons! But leave it to sweet little Lisa to take on a good cause!

I've been a Simpsons fan for years, and still remember the broadcast of the Christmas episode back when I was about 10 years old. I have enjoyed the show ever since, because it makes me laugh and usually has a good message, too.

This episode was especially well done and I will even confess, the scene with the dead bees and Groundskeeper Willy playing "Amazing Grace" on his bagpipe brought a tear to my eye.

Congratulations to Honeybeads, this week's featured member!!

2008-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Honeybeads for BEEing our featured member this week!

Honeybeads is a beekeeper in Central Pennsylvania and finds inspiration in the bee yard and the beautiful Allegheny Mountains surrounded by thousands of busy little muses.

Honeybeads will also be contributing to our blog with posts about beekeeping! How exciting, to get to hear firsthand about everything involved and all about the bees!

I asked Honeybeads some questions about beekeeping and crafting- here are the answers!

How long have you been crafting?

I began working with textiles in high school. I loved combining the textures and colors to elicit a feeling or get a response. I built quite a collection of fabric, leather, embroidered goods and assorted yarns and threads. Folk art and traditional themes inspired me.

How did you become interested in beading?

One night I was watching a shopping channel and they were featuring a set of jewelry tools and glass beads. I got them and loved the way the beads could add another dimension of texture and sparkle to a project. It was an opportunity to work with precious stones and pearls (my favorite) and metals. It is not nearly as intimidating as I expected and I love attending classes, workshops and conferences with skilled artists to get inspired and keep my ideas fresh. A jewelry piece can delight the eye and lift the spirit.

How long have you been a beekeeper?

I started keeping bees in 2005. I have been fascinated with honeybees since I was five years old. My little boyfriend lived next door and his father was a beekeeper. As much as I liked Greg, (we would sneak out behind my swing set and smoke candy cigarettes), his Dad had something in the kitchen that fascinated me: an observation hive. Next to the kitchen table there was a glass window to the world of the honeybees. For hours I was mesmerized watching hundreds of bees tirelessly working together drawing out and filling the comb. The amazing process that changed the blooms of flowers to sweet golden honey seemed mystical. It took nearly fifty years for me don my bee veil and become an assistant to these industrious little ladies. I feel honored to be a part of the queens’ team.

Nectar Flow

2008-11-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

These blogs could be called the Diary of a Beekeeper. Every year commercial beekeepers follow the nectar flow; moving thousands of bees on a pilgrimage to gather from orange blossoms in Florida, through peach blossoms in Georgia and up through the Carolina's, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and ending in Maine. Local beekeepers, also keep track of the flow. We monitor the blooms from early spring to winter and track the changes in the colony.

I keep bees in central Pennsylvania in the Allegheny mountains. I will share some of my beekeeping adventures.

At a recent meeting of the local beekeepers association there was a heated exchange about the advice a beekeeper had given to the resident of a nearby town. The aluminum siding on the man's home was filled with thousands of bees. He had contacted the association to get help. After assessing the situation, determining they weren't honeybees and attempting to relocate them, the beekeeper finally advised him he should contact an exterminator. There were outraged exclamations throughout the room, "We should never tell anyone to kill bees!" Then a calm voice from the back of the room commented, "Yeah, put 'em in a hive, they'll die soon enough." The room grew quiet.

CCD is a real concern to the hobbyist and commercial beekeeper alike. Every beekeeper anticipates a certain percentage of loss each year for various reasons. But CCD is an unusual and worldwide threat . Every local meeting begins with a report from each person on the status of their hives. In our group we monitor our own hives and have regular meetings with scientists at Penn State University to get the latest updates. A significant number of us do not use chemical treatments for mites and other common applications. Does that make us more vulnerable? Or do pesticides contribute to the problem? Are the commercial beekeepers the significant victims of this problem? Or is the hobbyist just as vulnerable? For now, we just continue to do our regular hive inspections and keep the lines of communication open with each other and the scientific investigators.

I'm thankful for honeybees,

Lorrie (Honeybeads)

Quick Update!

2008-11-16T15:28:00.000-08:00

First of all- Yes, we're still featuring team members!! :)

This week's was a little late, but as a head's up, the featured member is LonesomeRoadStudio! I need to get her interview questions squared away- but her feature post is on its way very soon.

Another update that I wanted to add- Last week I created a store on CafePress.com to help raise money for CCD research. My etsy items have not raised much money for the bees, and I don't have any art shows lined up this winter where I can at least hand out information about CCD, bees, and our team. Since CafePress is free, I figured, why not put up some products and if I sell any, I'll donate my cut.

So, here's the store!

http://www.cafepress.com/samanthasbees

Each item sold donates $5 to honeybee research- so if you've got any bee lovers on your Christmas List, BEE sure to check it out!

Peace, Love and Bees,

-Samantha

Congratulations to SturmDM, this week's featured team member!

2008-11-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to SturmDM on being our featured member this week!

Doris deserves special recognition this week for her dedication to bringing awareness and appreciation to honeybees, and being such an active member of our team!
She donates 10% from all of her sales (and 20% of each bee item) to Penn State for Honeybee Research!

Doris is a very talented artist in the medium of crochet. This hat titled "Me, Queen Bee", won the Etsy Hookers (crochet hookers, that is!) Hat Challenge:

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10201707
Here is the blog of EtsyHookers entry in honor of Doris!
http://etsyhookers.blogspot.com/2008/09/me-queen-bee-etsyhookers-creative.html

Doris creates all kinds of different things with her crochet- blankets, stuffed animals, shawls, hats, even clothes and accessories for pets!

For the feature, we asked Doris a few questions:

1. How long have you been crafting?
I have been crafting (namely crocheting and knitting) for about 40 years on and off.

2. How did you become interested in crochet?
I learned to knit and crochet in school when I was a girl in Germany, but a lot of my more advanced skills (like reading patterns and more complicated stitches) are self taught. I prefer to crochet because it seems to be easier on my hands because I only have to manipulate one crochet hook instead of two knitting needles.

3. When did you hear about CCD?
I learned about CCD by watching "Silence of the Bees" on PBS about a year ago. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/introduction/38/
I was shocked, outraged and scared, especially since this has been going on for quite some time. I just didn't now. I decided to name my shop Honey Bee Crochet to raise honey bee awareness and because I donate a certain percentage of my profits towards Honey Bee Research. I learned a lot since that first time I saw that movie on TV a year ago, and I especially discovered that there are a lot of other individuals, like me, concerned about the welfare of our bees. I learned that GMOs and pesticides are partially to blame for CCD and that also we people are sufferening from the chemicals we are forced to ingest. I would encourage everyone to watch this movie: http://wideeyecinema.com/?p=105

------------------------
Thanks Doris!!

Here is a huge list of some of the resources Doris has shared with the team- BEE sure to check them out!

Here's some very easy reading, some very basic and simple honey bee facts to skim over: http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com/facts.html

Super Pesticides: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_XnvZAcM0U

A closer look at CCD from a Proffessor of Entomology at UC Georgia
http://www.ento.psu.edu/MAAREC/PressReleases/FallDwindleUpdate0107.pdf

Note: Fall Dwindle Disease was the original name for CCD

Also you can find the Who's Who in North American Beekeeping (and Canada) from Bee Culture magazine:
http://www.beeculture.com/content/whoswho/index.cfm?state=GA#state

And then there's the American Beekeeping Federation with all kinds of interesting information
http://www.abfnet.org/

and then there's UC Davis' Bee Briefs - short articles about important information
http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Mussen/beebriefs/index.cfm

Here you can subscribe to the Apiary Newsletter from the Entomology Dept. of UC Davis
http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/news/apiarynewslettersubscription.html

and last, but not least, let's not forget Haagen Dazs with their wonderful support of the Honey Bees. They're working together with UC Davis and Penn State and are really stepping up to the plate for our little industrious, threatened honey bees. This is a great website to start learning from and have your children participate because it's colorful, interactive, fun and totally family-friendly:
http://www.helpthehoneybees.com

They even have a learner blog for the little ones, teaching them to write to the lawmakers and get involved - way to go Haagen Dazs (I'm buying my ice cream from you!)
http://savethebees.learnerblog.com/

Featured Member: SparkleJess!

2008-10-30T09:27:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to SparkleJess for being the very first featured member of our team!

SparkleJess deserves some special recognition for bringing GMOs and this documentary to the attention of the Honeybee Helpers Team:
The World According to Monsanto

From the website:
On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television (ARTE – French-German cultural tv channel) by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won’t ever see. The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

According to Jess, "EVERYONE should see [the documentary]. This will be the biggest change to the worlds food supply, in how it is produced, and the chemicals put into our earth, any generation has ever faced."

(Thanks also to team member SturmDM for posting the link from Jess!)

Jess creates dog toys, fabric art, and eco friendly photography in her Etsy shop. Her shop name is SparkleJess, but she also has a 2nd shop, www.littlestuffedrabbit.etsy.com . Sparklejess dog toys are eco-friendly and ethically sourced from non-toxic materials: organic cotton Harmony Art fabrics, filled with organic cotton or untreated Canadian sheep wool. Hand made in Canada, SparkleJess dog toys are stuffed with wool *(unless stuffed with organic cotton!) from the family farm in the BC Chilcotin Valley, from sheep raised on organic pastures, without flea dips or powders, taken to a small wool processing shop, and batted on a 100 year old machine. This wool has not been put into chemicals to burn off the vegetable matter like conventional wool, and dogs love the natural lanolin smell!

We asked Jess a few questions:

How long have you been crafting?:
Since I was little! I grew up without a television for most of my life, so I spent my spare time creating.

How did you become interested in eco-friendly crafts?:
I became interested in eco-friendly crafting about four years ago. At the time, I was working in the costumes department in the film industry, so I was spending 24 hours working with fabrics! I worked with a Costumes Designer who only used natural fibers: linen, silk, and lots of organic cotton, and it was then I began see a difference between these natural fabrics and the synthetics I'd been used to working with.

Around the same time, another person I worked with taught me about how toxic fabric dyeing is, and about fabric finishes: anything with a stain guard or non-wrinkle label on it has been chemically treated. Then, a very sweet grandmother working as a cutter at my local fabric store, happened to mention that the fabric I was buying (and all the fabric the store carried) was sprayed with insecticide before it was shipped, and I should pre-wash it before I used it. Well, I never did use that fabric! I started buying organic fabrics online and haven't looked back, now I use organic cottons for 95% of my sewing.

When did you hear about CCD?
Earlier this year I saw the PBS documentary "Silence of the Bees". I couldn't believe my eyes, that there are areas in the world where bees have been wiped out due to over-use of pesticides, but more frightening, something called CCD is affecting hives in many parts of the world: and it can't be explained why bees are dying. I posted photos on etsy called "save the bees", of bumblebees in my neighborhood, only to discover that there was an Etsy Bee Team with the common concern over CCD and the bees!

Recently, I happened to catch a greenpeace conference on my local cable channel. Percy Schmeiser was speaking about GMO's. Percy, a 68-year old Saskatchewan farmer, is well-known to Canadians for fighting Monsanto, a huge company that produces genetically modified seed. The company of Monsanto had sued Percy and his wife because they found their GMO seed on his land, even though Percy Schmeiser had not put the seed there.

What I didn't know, though, about GMO seed was what Percy Schmeiser was saying in this televised conference: that GMO seed contains a terminator gene, that renders the seed unusable for the next growing season, so that the seed companies can make money on their seed every year. I immediately wondered about the connection between this terminator gene and the slow disappearance of the bees: after all, the areas where bees are disappearing are areas where non-organic produce is being grown!!

I did more research: I watched the documentary "The World According to Monsanto". The sad thing is that the GMO seed also requires MUCH more pesticide use than organic seed does, but that GMO seed threatens to take over organic seed, due to the wind/how pollination happens. Since scientists have documented that bee populations are affected by pesticides, I'm very concerned about what will happen to our bees if the GMO seed takes over and crops become monoculture.

I think we can make a difference in our everyday purchases. For example, 95% of canola seed is now GMO, due to how seeds pollinate, carried by the wind. The chemical that HAS to be used on GMO canola in order to make it germinate, is agent orange. Therefore, if you only choose one organic product to buy, buy organic canola oil. It helps that tiny amount of organic farmers that are still producing organic canola, and you know that you are helping the earth the seed is grown in, the people who harvest the seed, and most of all, you give our bees a fighting chance!
Thanks so much, all the best,
jess!

See SparkleJess for organic dog toys and bags at the Vancouver's "Green" Christmas fair, Sunday, December 7th, 11am-6pm at the Cambrian Hall on Main St!!

Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey

2008-10-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

www.robbingthebees.com

I just received this book in the mail last week and have been trying to read a little bit each night before I go to bed. So far, I'm fascinated by it. The author, Holley Bishop, wants to study bees and beekeeping and becomes an apprentice to a beekeeper (Donald Smiley) in the Florida panhandle. I'm just a little into the first chapter so far. The author has spent a day with Mr. Smiley, the beekeeper, checking on his bees and now the chapter is going into a little bit of a history lesson :)

http://www.robbingthebees.com/photo_gallery.htm (pictures!)

I wish I had more time to read, as I'm really excited about the book! Hopefully after I move next week, I can spend a little more time with it.

If any other team members are interested in reading the book with me, I'm sure if you pick up a copy soon, we can coordinate and read it together- just let me know! Leave a comment here on this blog post! :)
I got mine for pretty cheap, used, from Amazon.com. Also there's always the library!!

-Samantha

Autumn Harvest hat with Beeatrice, the bee

2008-09-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow Honey Bee Helpers!

Here's my entry for our Autumn Challenge that is due tomorrow. I am entering my other unique hat with the bee that is in her fall colors of orange and brown, instead of the traditional yellow and black. Enjoy!

Falling

2008-09-14T15:43:00.001-07:00

I am a Western Honey Bee.
I work both day and night,
collecting honey from a tree
and plants to save my hive.

Sometimes my fellow worker bees
get lost, I don’t know why.
When I return to my colony
they are no where in sight.

What is this thing called CCD?
What is a bee to do,
but keep on working busily
making honey for me and you

I heard it in the willow wind.
It whispers to us all:
“we’ve been around millions of years,
don’t let the last bee fall!”

by Doris M. Sturm

Two New Treasuries Today!!

2008-09-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

We currently have not one, but TWO treasuries of our wonderful team. Yaaaayyy!!

One in the Treasury- All PINK Items from your shops, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. I realize it's not yet October, but it never hurts to bring awareness to TWO causes, right? CCD and Breast Cancer. So.. Let's BEAT 'EM!

Click the link and give some feedback :)
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=8916

Our Treasury West treasury was created in honor of the August Challenge. Way to go participants! If you created an item for the challenge and it's not here, it's only because I didn't know about it- so convo me on Etsy (samanthasartstudio) and I'll rotate things around so your Challenge Entry gets some love, too!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=25396

Thanks for all your hard work, honeybees, and for sharing the treasuries, and commenting, and all the wonderful things you do for the honeybees.

What should the Fall Challenge be?

2008-09-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Please vote in the poll on the right- Sunday September 14 is the last day for voting. On Monday, we'll know what the new challenge theme will be!
The Challenge entries will be due October 20. That gives us about a little over a month to work on our challenge entry, and also some time to think of a new challenge to start in November. And frees you up for Halloween as well!

Here are the options that have been placed into the poll. If you would like to add another option to the poll, please add a comment to this blog post and I'll add it.

General Fall Challenge- what do you think of when you think of fall? Halloween? Colorful leaves? Thanksgiving? Pumpkins? Harvesting of food? Warm fall colors? Cinnamon and apple pies? Whatever you think of, create an item for your Etsy shop based on any of your loves in the fall.

Fall Leaves- Everyone thinks of colorful leaves when they hear the word "Autumn." Create an item with based on the colors of fall leaves: Typically brown, red, orange, yellow, burgandy, and dark purples are all colors of a beautiful Fall! Or create an item with actual leaves in the design. Or both!

Harvest- Squashes, pumpkins, cornucopias, mums, corn, sunflowers- In almost every picture of a fall harvest, these items are shown. And lots of these items are brought to us by our dear Honeybees (and other bees) pollinating efforts! Pick some autumn foods and do a challenge related to them- add in a bee or two, if you wish!

Yay! The Chicago Botanic Garden!

2008-09-07T12:40:00.001-07:00

My husband and I went to visit the Chicago Botanic garden during Labor Day weekend.
It's definitely a place that takes all day to see everything, so we decided to pick out a few gardens that we definitely wanted to see. One was the Fruit and Vegetable garden. It was nice, how the different gardens were all set up- but as we walked through the garden, I sadly didn't see anything about bees. Throughout the botanic garden are little signs that you can read, full of tidbits and interesting information- I thought surely the fruit and vegetable garden would be full of information regarding the importance of bees.

But much to my surprise and delight, as we meandered down the garden path to exit the fruit and vegetable garden, we were led into a breezeway next to a small building... called The Beeline! It was a whole display dedicated to honeybees. They even had a volunteer there answering everyone's 448905483 questions about bees, hives, and bee life. They had a display of different bee products- honeys, propolis, pollen granules. They also had a small hive that people could look into and see- and try to find the queen, of course.

Also during the weekend that we happened to be visiting, the family drop-in activity was all about bees, too! You could be the bee and pollinate a flower. They had a giant enlarged diagram of all the flower parts, and different activities for kids to do and learn more about bees.

Yay for the Chicago Botanic Garden!!- Helping to educate everyone to the importance of bees :)

Bees + Team + Challenge + ♥ + August!!

2008-09-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Lots of our members participated in the August Team Challenge and my oh my, what BEEutiful items our creative team has produced in honor of our very first challenge!! Jewelry was a very common theme.... Bees make LOVELY accessories, don't you think!?

Member NebulaMystic created this awesome set of earrings and a necklace:

She also created a couple of great bee ACEOs!

Member SturmDM created all these bee items (yes, each word is linked to a different bee!!) and had a couple sales, too! Way to go!:

Member SheilaSatin created a sweet Bee Bracelet- how adorable!

LonesomeRoadStudio created a very cool necklace dubbed "The Buzz!"

Honeybeads created a bee-utiful Harvest Bee bracelet:

SamanthasArtStudio created a BEE Kind bracelet:
NightShadesArt created a lovely Leather Cuff Bee Bracelet:

And Treatsoap created a soap called Bee My Honey- with scents of oatmeal, milk, honey, and cinnamon! YUM!!

I know I've seen some pictures of other members' challenge items, but I couldn't find them in your shops- so I didn't list them here as I didn't want to be a tease in case someone wanted to buy it and it's not listed!

If I've forgotten your item, I sincerely apologize and BEE sure to convo me on Etsy ASAP, and I'll add your item to the blog right away!

I tried to keep track of everyone's but these were the ones I saw posted on the Ning, and I was able to find them the fastest :)

If you're working on an item, let me know when it's done- and you can add a blog here about it, too!

A Treasury In PINK!!

2008-08-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=22248

Click it!
Leave a comment :)
Share the love!
Put the linky-loo in your shop announcement!
Whoo hoo!

Lately it seems I'm always online about 20 minutes before Treasury West has an opening. Which gives me *just* enough time to pull up our team profile page and check out shops for the items I'm looking for!
Awesome!

Dear Etsy,
Please don't take away Treasury West.

Thanks.
Love,
The Honeybee Helpers Team

HoneyBee Helpers Team Challenge Entry

2008-08-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here's my HoneyBee Helper Challenge entry everybody...hope you like this little buzzer. This honeybee is crocheted from worsted weight yarn and stuffed with polyester fiberfill. You can see more bees in my shop on Etsy.
Just visit http://www.SturmDM.etsy.com and buzzzzzz around.

Oooops, how did this bee end up on the lady's hat?

Could it BEE? Another TREASURY?

2008-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Why yes! Yes it could!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=21897

What great timing, since the other team treasury expired yesterday! :)

Click the link, share with friends, add some comments. This time I picked items in bright GREEN!

HOORAY!! A treasury for us!

2008-08-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=21332

Please pass on the link. Share the team treasury loooove! :)

You can also put the link into your shop announcement while the treasury is active- don't forget to take it down though, hehe.

I picked the most colorful selections I could find from our team members. Hope you get some views, some hearts, some sales, and some love!

Nightshade's Art's Honeycomb Bracelet

2008-07-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

Honeycomb Honeybee leather cuff bracelet
This honeybee was painted on to a carved and dyed honeycomb made of a scrap of tooling leather. The cuff itself is made from recycled upholstery leather.

This is my entry for the Bee Challenge.

My shop - http://www.nightshadesart.etsy.com
My blog - http://craftyequine.blogspot.com

Honeybee Helpers' First CHALLENGE!

2008-07-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

August challenge time!
(I am not sure if we will do this monthly always- I guess we'll see how the first one goes.)
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5734040

Since we're the bee team, why not have a BEE CHALLENGE for our "initiation challenge"?

* Even if you already have bees in your shop, depending on how long your projects take to create- you could create another bee to keep in stock, or do something new and entirely different.
* If you can't come up with any bees for your shop, you could play around with something using the colors yellow and black, and/or find some cute bee charms to add to a project. (I've seen bee charms available around Etsy!)
* And, feel free to do any type of bee that you want. Our team focus may be on the honeybees, but if you're feeling more inclined toward a bumblebee or wasp, then so BEE it!
* I've seen many cute bee fabrics around local fabric stores, too.

Since we all use a vast variety of materials to create our work, it will be lots of fun to see what all of us come up with! If possible, it would be great to donate the proceeds from these new bees to a bee research charity as well.

Tentative date as of now to show and share your finished project: On or before August 31.

BEE sure to post the pictures of your bee on our Ning site!
(If you're not a member yet, please join! If you didn't get an invitation, I just need your email address. Convo it to samanthasartstudio on Etsy.)

We will also create a post in the Etsy forums and post links to our bees in our shops, too, as a way of promoting our team and all of our stores.

Happy Crafting!
Worker bees away!! Bzzzzzzzzzz...

Beekeeping and Green Roofs in Chicago

2008-07-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

This may just qualify as shameless promotion of both my city and our Co-op but I wanted to share a video on rooftop gardens that TF1 (French Television) broadcast last evening. You get a birds eye view of the rooftop garden on Chicago's City Hall and the beehives maintained by Chicago Honey Co-op head beekeeper Michael Thompson. He has been keeping bees since he was 12 years old living in Kansas. The bees atop City Hall here do exceptionally well and receive no chemical or antibiotic treatments. Chicago also has a rooftop garden on the Cultural Center here, also with healthy beehives.
Two other Chicago rooftop gardens are also featured.
Here is the link http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/0,,3921922,00-toits-verts-chicago-.html

Sent samples to the sampler :)

2008-07-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

First of all... if you haven't already responded to this thread, please do so!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5725388
And THANKS to those of you who already have!!

It would be so wonderful if we got everyone in here to introduce themselves and we could see all your FABULOUS shops!

Okay, back to the bloggin'...
I sent some samples to the sampler! Craftin Outlaws have an upcoming craft show and are giving away some goodie bags. I sent some 3.5" x 5" notecards (had a bunch of spare envelopes in the appropriate size just sitting here) and with each card, I included a little card with info on the honeybee helpers and my shop.
On the cards I also included the etsy search for BEETEAM, our team tag. I hope that those of you who are using it will get some sales! (Or even just views would be nice) :)

Eh, sorry for the lack of artistic photography/background. It's my summertime-and-super-easy-to-clean vinyl table cloth... But I love it!

Let's get things buzzing!

2008-07-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

How about everyone stop by and say Hello in the *NEW* "End Of July Buzz" forum thread?
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5725388

The more we post and bump our thread, the more we promote our team and all of our shops!
I'd love to get everyone "introduced" (so to speak), since we all have BEES in common. So join in the chat and let us know a little about you, your shop, when and why you became fond of bees, etc.
It's tough for us, I know, since we're a global team and not just local.
But if we all start posting and letting each other know where we're from, maybe we'll find out that some of us are neighbors! That would be a great way to coordinate some CCD awareness events.

*******
Has anyone used the Chat feature in Etsy? Do you find it to be useful? If so, perhaps we should try and set up a chat!
*******

Lastly, let's try and see how many treasuries we can put together for our team! It's so exciting to put one together!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury.php
http://www.etsy.com/treasurywest.php

Use this Etsy feature to make a "sketch" of how you want your Treasury to look!
http://www.etsy.com/poster_sketch.php

You can do anything you want! Your favorite items from team members, or you can pick a color theme with team members' things and fill a treasury with blue, or bee colors yellow and black... You can do an eco-friendly theme... You could feature just bee items from team members' stores, or feature items that specifically donate to bee projects or charities. Use your imagination :)

I've already put together 3 Treasuries- I know they can be elusive, but if you are like me and tend to visit Etsy a few times a day at different times, you'll get one too! (It seems to be easier on weekends.)
For more information on Treasuries and all of the mysteries revealed, read these!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5722826
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5531944

Thanks for everything everyone is doing- I see lots of you using the team tag ("beeteam")!
Yay for bees!

Bzzzzz......

Bee Team treasury with an Eco-Friendly theme!

2008-07-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=17019

I tried to pick the most eco-friendly things from team members that I could find.

Treasury expires on Wednesday... Check it out! :)

How $4 Million For Bee Research Is Spent - thedailygreen.com

2008-07-19T06:02:00.001-07:00

How $4 Million For Bee Research Is Spent - thedailygreen.com

Posted using ShareThis

UPDATE: Samples for the Sampler

2008-07-10T13:42:00.001-07:00

http://www.homeofthesampler.com/

Looks like "Craftin' Outlaws" are looking for some samples to include in some goodie bags for their craft fair on August 16. Deadline to submit the samples is August 4th. The maximum amount of samples you can submit would be 100, but you can submit less if you like. They're looking for small items such as mini-soaps, pendants, keychains, magnets, a hair accessory, etc. Something that people can use and not *just* fliers, business cards, etc.

I was thinking if some of us from the Honeybee Helpers wanted to send in some samples, we could print out the BeePromo2.pdf (from the google group) and send that with our samples. That way, both your store and the bees might get a boost!

UPDATE: She responded to an email that I sent, inquiring about a minimum amount of donation items and said there is no minimum. So, if you want to do 5, 10, or 100, that's up to you :)
She also said a Honeybee Helpers paper team promo would be fine, too!

If any of you have some ideas of things you'd like to send in, add a comment here or post them on the chat thread on etsy! Maybe we can all send in a few small things.

What a great film!! And a great organization.

2008-07-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

Got 9 minutes?

Then watch this fascinating film, "Every Third Bite".
http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/8/
(Winner of the Good Food Award!)

Thanks to our Etsy Honeybee Helpers Team member One Honey (Chicago Honey Co-op) for bringing this great film to my attention!

Chicago Honey Co-Op provides job opportunities for those who are under-employed and is owned by its members. They also have chemical free beehives and make all natural honey! An association who helps out people and bees.... does it get any better than that?

Visit their very informative website and learn more about the great things they do: http://chicagohoneycoop.com/ .

Where The Bees Are...

2008-07-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

On my July 4 holiday, I got to spend a lot of time outside in my gardens, observing the many bumble bees (there are SO many here) and other insects. I was lucky enough to be outside while a single honeybee was visiting a few flowers! (I've only seen them a couple other times this year.) Unfortunately, my camera had run out of batteries and they were in the process of charging- so while I don't have photographic evidence of the honeybee itself, I did get some pictures later of a couple types of flowers that she was visiting while I followed her around for a bit.

I'm in Maryland- zone 7- and if these plants bloom in your zone, maybe they'll bring some honeybees into your garden as well.

White balloon flower

Bee Balm (two bumble bees on this one)

I took a walk later in the day and observed a honeybee visiting a Magnolia tree down the street.
Also in years past, I've seen honeybees all over the black-and-blue Salvia in the garden, but yesterday's honeybee wasn't into that particular plant.

If it wasn't raining today, I'd go outside and try to get pictures of honeybees- Hopefully later this summer I'll be able to share some :)

Team Chat threat on Etsy forums....

2008-06-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5691149

Since it can be difficult to check lots of different things- like Etsy, the Google Group, any other sites you guys are on, I thought I'd make a post on the Etsy forums where we can chat a little and check out each others' stores and things.

So if you like, make a post in the thread, and make your store and honeybee helpers team status known :)

News of the Bee

2008-06-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

Riverton,NJ has been seeing a lot of swarms lately, a seemingly increase in the bee population, one such population has taken to a local church, filling its walls with honey. See the video here. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6215911

Weston, WI About 15,000 bees descended upon this town, blocking entrances to local businesses. FOrtunately the exterminator they called was wise enough to call a beekeeper. http://www.channel3000.com/news/16673149/detail.html?rss=c3k&psp=news

New Zealand, Agcarm has sent out 10,000 brochures to help explain to farmers and growers the importance to the honey bee in crop pollination, in hopes that farmers will think about their use of pesticides including what type, how much, and when to preserve the work and life of the bees. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0806/S00364.htm

Concord, NC a 100 year old home was found to have about 60,000 honeybees living in the walls, Honey was starting to seep through the walls as well. Some walls had to be torn down to safely remove the bees. http://www.wyff4.com/news/16613800/detail.html?rss=gs&psp=news

Hollidaysburg, Pa, a boys bees are causing quite a buzz, neighbors have complained. Officials have asked the hive be moved to a more rural area, the owner is ready to take it to court. http://www.wjactv.com/news/16637696/detail.html?rss=john&psp=news

There is also an excellent commentary on possible causes of CCD, that can be found here: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/commentary/dissection/2008/02/dissection_0222

Tibetan Prayer Flag

2008-06-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

Combine your artistic and spiritual talents to make a prayer flag for the honey bees. While watching a program about quilting, there was a segment on a quilter who kept her sister-in-law company through out her lengthy struggle against cancer. To comfort both of them she began a prayer flag with quotations, and prayers for healing.

More about prayer flags can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag . Last spring, I made a prayer flag for honey bees and the conquest of CCD. It is a long rectangle of muslin, which is basically white (air). To that rectangle I added strips I'd torn from fabrics with floral or bee designs, and other strips with quotations about bees. Here is one to get you started... “What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee.” Marcus Aurelius.

I used small safety pins to attach the strips to the muslin background. It hangs outside in our yard, and releases prayers to the universe. It is also a nice reminder to me, to say a prayer when it catches my eye, that the causes of CCD will be discovered, and that if they can be found conquered. When I first heard about CCD there was some belief that cell phones might be causing the demise of bees. I didn't think the bees had much hope if human "beeings" had to abandon cell phones. Thankfully, it now seems more likely that there are viral causes for CCD, although our actions as humans no doubt weaken the environment for feral bees and other animals as well. Cotton Eyed Jo

Will Donate 50% Proceeds from Art

2008-06-16T13:56:00.001-07:00

After watching the program on the vanishing bees on Nature last night, I've updated the Last HoneyBee listing on my Etsy shop. This artwork was created to help bring awareness to the honeybee problem. The vanishing honeybee epidemic is a serious matter we all need to be concerned about. I will officially donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of this artwork - Last Honeybee. You can purchase this high quality print directly from either my Etsy or my website Off The Cuff Art.

A Charming Bee Story

2008-06-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

OneHoney here,

Since I have news feeds through our Chicago Honey Co-op google and Pageflakes pages, I came across this story from the NPR show, "Living On Earth"
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=08-P13-00024&segmentID=6

Not all the news about honey bees is bad right now. I want to let everyone know that there are beekeeping operations that are specializing in breeding queens and providing new bee colonies to beekeepers. We get our bees from a producer in Texas who has worked very hard over the last 6 years to select queen bees that show resistance to 2 of the most troublesome bee parasites, varroa and tracheal mites. It will be operations like this one ( BeeWeaver ), that enable beekeepers to overcome the various parasites and diseases that affect honeybees. Without chemicals and antbiotics that the beekeeping "Industry" is so reliant on.

Finally! A Team Treasury:

2008-06-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

It expires on June 12, so look fast!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=12560

And if you're an Etsy member, please leave us a comment!

Thanks for looking!!

Here's a picture of one version of the treasury.

"The Busy, Busy Bees" painting...

2008-06-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

"The Busy, Busy Bees"

12" x 9" Acrylic

I have this as an 8"x10" print on Etsy and as with all of my 8"x10" prints, $10 from the sale of it will go to pollinator.org, part of the CoEvolution Institute, toward bee research.

I created it for the May Plant Parade Challenge on WetCanvas. The challenge was to create a piece using both cherries and cherry blossoms. I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to create, and since a concern of mine has been honeybees, I worked that into the concept as it seemed so obvious. Show the flowers, show the delicious product that we get from them- thanks to honeybees. Obviously you'd never actually see flowers and cherries on a branch like this at the same time, but showing it this way seemed to be the best way I could illustrate pollination.

The painting is 12" x 9" acrylic. I think I'll get a white linen liner with a white frame to finish it!

Last Honey Bee Art Card...

2008-05-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm interested in donating the proceeds from my limited edition Last Honey Bee art card to a non profit actively researching the growing honeybee problem. I emailed the VanishingHoneybees.com regarding my contribution but haven't heard back from them. I'm not sure if they received my email and/or took my offer seriously.

My card is for sale on Etsy for $8.00. That's a $200.00 donation if all 25 cards sell. Anyway, it's a contribution I'm willing and able to make. Each card will have a certificate of authencity on the back which is dated, numbered and signed by me and the name of the non-profit originization. My only request is that my name as the artist of this artwork is indicated on the website of the non-profit.

Wow! Lots of articles on Honeybees.

2008-05-20T15:01:00.001-07:00

Today I visited www.pollinator.org and found a wealth of information recently added to the news section.
Some magazines have recently featured articles on bees and other pollinators:

http://www.pollinator.org/news.htm

Martha Stewart Living, Homestead Magazine, and Country Living Magazines all featured articles on bees and you can find the pdf's via the link above. The National Wildlife Federation published an article on butterflies' decline as well, which can also be found on pollinator.org's news page link above.

Are there any events for Pollinator Week this year (June 22-28, 2008) scheduled in your area?

What some of our team members are doing to help the bees!

2008-05-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

OSSMedicineJewelry is making a documentary film on the vanishing of the bees.

She uses her creativity to help raise funds for creating her film!

She honors all creatures and makes jewelry out of bones, horns, fossils and stones.
All of her sales go toward the making of her film about the vanishing honeybees.

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WeirdBugLady has created these BEEutiful bee pins!

25% of sales of these pins will be donated to the making of the documentary Vanishing of the Bees. Check out the website here: http://www.vanishingbees.com/
Make a fashion statement and help save the honey bees!

Also if you're going to be in the Ballston Lake, NY area on May 17/18, be sure to check out her display at the Lakeside Farms Arts & Crafts Fair!

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lepetitmonstre has created this Queen Bee print of an original Le Petit Monstre collage.

All proceeds from this print will go to help fund the documentary, The Vanishing of the Bees.
And if you love Queen Bee but the colors are not quite right, you can request any background color! How cool is that!?

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BaRbaRaGIOrDaNoArt has created this art piece in response to CCD and help to bring about awareness.

This is a limited edition of only 25 prints. Each print has a certificate of authencity, signed, numbered and dated. The orignal work was created using professional colored pencils and acid free inks and markers.

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OneHoney is part of is an urban beekeeping cooperative in Chicago with 100 hives (chemical free!!) and 37 members. Their work is supported entirely through sales of their products. They provide job training opportunities for hard to employ people in Chicago and sell their honey and products at Farmers Markets here. Visit their shop for some great beeswax and honey products!

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Check out BrooklynBee's blog for some Bee related themes and news: http://www.templeofsting.com/ !

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samanthasartstudio's shop is donating $10 from each 8x10 print (and a few others) she sells to pollinator.org and the North American Pollinator Partnership Campaign.

Far Out! Our team is under way.

2008-05-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome the blog of Etsy's team: Etsy Honeybee Helpers. Our group of crafters and artists joined together as a bee-loving team with multiple goals in mind:

Bring awareness to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and the importance of honey bees
Raise money for honey bee research charities and CCD awareness campaigns
Educate others who want to help honey bees

Our team may launch a Team Store... but in the mean time, some of our members are already donating proceeds from some of their hand crafted items to honey bee research.

Things you can do to help the bees:

Support your local bee keepers! Click HERE to find local honey near you. And if, for some reason, eating heaps of it with a spoon isn't what you had in mind, THIS is a good place to find some recipes!
If you have a yard, plant lots of flowers and try to keep an area of native flowers growing, too. Also, don't use pesticides and chemicals on your yard. If you must, try to wait until the evening around dusk- when the bees have gone to bed. If you don't have a yard, maybe it's time to try some guerilla gardening!
Speaking of pesticides and chemicals, try to buy organic when you can. The less pesticides being thrown around, the better the air is for the bees.
Tell your friends and family (or the guy next to you on the bus, or the person behind you at the grocery store, or anyone who's willing to listen?) about CCD and how important it is to help the bees- share these tips :)

If you wish to BEEcome a member of this team, you must be an Etsy member since this is an Etsy team. Convo samanthasartstudio on Etsy.