This week is Australian Pollinator Week – 8th - 15th, a week dedicated to the support of the needs, welfare and survival of Native Australian bees. For those who understand the power and the beauty of our native bees, and the threats they currently face, this is an important week.
To celebrate, we’ve just launched new tees that let you wear your heart (For Bees!) on your sleeve, showing other people just how easy it is to Bee loyal to Native Bees!
Our tees are Bee friendly! They are made from 100% organic cotton, are ethically sourced, and locally designed and printed. Plus - every purchase of a tee goes to save the bees. It’s a win-win.
http://bit.ly/TeesthatSaveBees
A little more about Australia’s Native Pollinator Species
So far, we estimate that Australia has around 2,000 native bee species, all of which are important pollinators. We also know there are thousands of butterfly, wasp, fly, moth, beetle, thrips and ant species, some of which are documented pollinators. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of information on the ecology of many of these insects - for example, what flowers they pollinate, or where they are found. We invite you to help expand our knowledge by joining the Wild Pollinator Count here https://wildpollinatorcount.com/
What we do know is that Australian pollinators are vulnerable to insecticides that are already banned in Europe like neonicotinoids and Fiprinol. Did you know that huge broadacre farms around Australia, producing crops like cotton and wheat, are drenched in herbicides glyphosate and atrazine? It’s not a stretch to say that the Australian cotton industry remains stubbornly heavy handed with their use of dangerous insecticides. Add in Australia's record rates of land clearing (including pristine leatherwood forests in Tasmania) and our pollinating friends are facing mounting threats. It’s up to all of us to help protect them.
Beers & Tees for Bees
To help kick the Sparkke Change and Bee the Cure campaign along, we’ve launched some cool beers and tee packs with Sparkke. It’s the perfect Christmas Gift - and it includes Beers, Seeds, and T-Shirts, plus a how-to guide for looking after your bees at home! Each purchase goes directly to saving a hive or a swarm from extermination. Our target is to save 6 million bees this summer, so every purchase you make counts.
NEONICOTINOIDS
One last thing while we’ve got you - have you signed our petition banning neonicotinoids in Australia? Native bees are experiencing health and population decline due to the use of toxic pesticides like neonicotinoids. If you want to Sparkke Change please check out our Change.org petition here. You can help us stop Australia’s use of neonicotinoids and help us save bees.
https://www.change.org/p/ban-neonicotinoids-in-australia
EMAIL SUBSCRIBER
ONE LAST THING WHILE WE’VE GOT YOU - have you joined Save the Bees newsletter? With censorship and limited social media reach, it’s getting more difficult to communicate with the voices of the people who actively want to change the world. By saying this - we send out infrequent newsletter updates on all the important Bee things you can think of. Sign up to our Newsletter here!