Podcast: Community Cafe Bainbridge:
New local project seeks to bring pollinators back to Bainbridge

<i>Podcast: Community Cafe Bainbridge:</i> <br>New local project seeks to bring pollinators back to Bainbridge

BCB Community Cafe Bainbridge Island - 150In this podcast, City employees Amber Richards and Heather Beckmann explain why they – and so many Bainbridge organizations and individuals – are working to make Bainbridge a safe haven again for bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Hummingbirds, which can be found on Bainbridge, are examples of pollinators.
Hummingbirds, which can be found on Bainbridge, are examples of pollinators. Bees are another significant example.

In its first months, the number of partners of their Pollinator Improvement Project has grown to include: ASANI and the Grow Community; Commodore Options School; Bay Hay and Feed (where bee hive education occurs); Bloedel Reserve; Friends of the Farms; beekeeper Charles Shafer (who educates about bees and hives at the Farmers Market); Islandwood; Sustainable Bainbridge; Sweetlife Farm; and, now, BCB!

Pollinators face a number of challenges in modern society and many species are in serious decline. Pesticide use, specifically the use of neonicotinoids, have caused massive die-offs.

Heather Beckman and Amber Richards are COBI employees and founders of the Pollinators Project
Heather Beckman and Amber Richards are COBI employees and founders of the Pollinators Improvement Project (PIP)

See this webpage for advice on how you can make a difference and avoid harmful pesticides in your home garden.

Pollinators (bees, birds, moths, butterflies, and bats) are critical to human survival. Globally, pollinators account for pollination of approximately 85% of the world’s flowering plants and the vast majority of foods worldwide.

One way to help grow the pollinator population is to become a beekeeper.

Honey literally flows from this hive.
Honey literally flows from this hive. [video]
Beekeeping is pursued worldwide. For one example, BCB discovered an apparently easy-to-use beehive invention called Hive Flow on the crowd-funding website called Indiegogo. If anyone tries that Hive Flow system, or any other beehive system for beginners, please let us know and we’ll do a future podcast about it. This is not intended, however, as an endorsement of Hive Flow or any other product by the Pollinator project.

Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.