How We’re Saving the Honey Bees – You Can Help!

Bramble Berry is committed to giving back to our community, and donates a portion of profits to various charities every year. For a full list of charities donated to in 2015, click here. One cause that is important to us is protecting the honey bees from Colony Collapse Disorder. Researchers estimate one-third of all honey bee colonies in the country have vanished, so it’s time to take action and start saving the bees!

For several years, Bramble Berry has donated to the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center to aid in the fight against Colony Collapse Disorder. Honey bees pollinate a wide variety of agricultural crops and are an essential part of our environment and economy. Click here to read more about the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and their research.

Currently, a selection of items inspired by the honey bee are 10% off with the code: SAVEBEES. Bramble Berry is cumulatively donating the exact amount you save to the UC Davis Honey Bee Research Fund. Click here to shop all the sale items, and help save the honey bees! The sale ends August 19th. 

The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven is an outdoor museum where visitors can learn about honey bees. Photo via Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Flickr.

In addition to the amazing research, UC Davis is also home to the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. The Bee Haven is a unique half-acre outdoor museum where visitors can learn about bees and the plants they support. The Bee Haven is open year round. It offers bee gardening classes and guided tours. It’s an amazing educational facility that teaches the importance of respecting and protecting the honey bees. Click here to make a direct donation to the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, which supports the maintenance and development of the garden.

The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven features a wide variety of plants, click here to read more about them. Photo via UC Davis Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven.

If you are a gardener, the Haagen-Dazs Bee Haven blog is full of great information! Below is an inside look at one of the bee hives in the haven. Thanks to the wide variety of plants and flowers there, the hives are well populated with happy honey bees. Soon, the Bee Haven will get their hives ready for winter by consolidating them and protecting immature bees from the colder areas of the hive.

The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven is full of happy honey bees! Photo via The Bee Gardener, the official blog of the UC Davis Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven.

If you’re interested in learning more about bee keeping, UC Davis is offering two courses on August 27th and 28th at their Laidlaw facility, west of their central campus. The courses will be taught by Extension apiculturist Elina Niño, who is known for her work on honey bee biology, genomics and chemical ecology. Click here to read more about the class.

Bees are such an important part of our ecosystem, and it’s crucial we protect them. Want to support the bees? Shop the sale items to create, save and donate to the bees all at one time! Want to keep up with the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven? Find them on Facebook here!