Bees are in danger around the world. Whether this is from a loss of natural habitats, parasites or from the indiscriminate use of pesticides, numbers are falling. Due to the importance that bees play to global agriculture, the matter is regarded by many environmentalists as one of global importance.
A company based in Canada called A.Vogel has launched, for the second year, a campaign called “Bee-Cause We Care!” The campaign is designed to highlight the loss of Canada’s honeybees. The decline in the country’s honeybee population is estimated to be 35 percent over the past three years.
The campaign takes the form of conservation research, education and awareness programs. The company has pledged that for every 12 Allergy Relief products sold, A.Vogel will donate $5to the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). The campaign last year raised over $2,000 and this year the company are aiming to exceed this amount.
A.Vogel was founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1923. The company manufactures anti-allergy remedies from fresh, organic GMO free plants.
Commenting on the campaign, Rick Bates, CWF Executive Director said: “Bees and other pollinators have a crucial role in production of food, cotton, beeswax and many other products, but now they need our help. Like bees, when we all work together we can transform things. We thank A. Vogel for doing its part by creating an opportunity for all of us help pollinators like bees.”
With more than 700 native species in Canada, bees are the most common pollinator. Other pollinators include butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, some beetles, hummingbirds. In Ontario alone it is estimated that honeybees and bumblebees generate about $897 million of the roughly $6.7 billion in sales for agricultural crops grown in the province each year.
