Bee-Friendly Seeds
A Free-Bee: Donations Optional.
Fill out the form to receive a free package of seeds for bee-friendly flowers (while supplies last). Since late-February, over 50 MILLION SEEDS have been requested! Afterwards, you’ll be taken to a page where you can make an optional donation to fund our free seed program and bee-related scientific research. Feed the bees. Feed the world.
Each kit contains seeds for up to 20 vibrant flowers varieties that bees love most. Seeds vary based upon availability, but often include corn poppies, baby blue-eyes, sweet alyssum, tidy tips, plains coreopsis, China aster, and others.
Thanks Canada!
We Have Surpassed Our Goal!
When we started this campaign in late-February our goal was to ship one million seeds to Canadians across the country this spring. But thanks to the buzz, by mid-March we have received requests for over 50 MILLION SEEDS!
Our team of volunteers has now finished packing the seeds and have mailed them out. We expect most Canadians (except those in remote areas) to get their seeds in mid-April. Please note that, due to limited resources, we have only sent a maximum of one package per household.
See you next year!
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Sadly, we have not raised enough money from donations to cover the cost of our free bee-friendly seed program. Please consider making a donation to our student-run non-profit organization.
Why Bees Matter
Important Bzzzness.
Bees do so much more than make honey. Flying from plant to plant to plant, a bee’s furry coat is destined to pick up pollen at one flower and drop it off at another. Since pollination is essential for plants to grow and reproduce, bees are the guardians of the food chain.
Scientists estimate every third bite of food you eat wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for bees. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, oils, coffee, and chocolate all depend on them. And their impact goes far beyond plants. Livestock, as well as wild animals, count on the hard-working bee for their food as well.
Without bees, our ecosystem is at risk. The prospect of a bee-free world is frightening. But in some areas of China, it’s already a reality. Farmers have been forced to hand-pollinate their trees after local bees began to disappear. Children on these farms, carrying pots of pollen in one hand and paintbrushes in the other, maneuver their nimble fingers to individually pollinate flowers. But this can’t continue forever without food prices skyrocketing. A human child just can’t match the efficiency of a bee that can pollinate over 5,000 flowers in just one day.
The Death of Bees
Dazed & Confused.
In the past decade, bee populations have been plummeting. In the US, 40% of honeybee colonies died in 2016. Here’s why:
Habitat Destruction
Urbanization has meant the paving over of wildflower meadows. In the UK, for example, 97% of wildflowers have disappeared since 1945. Without sufficient quantities of native flowers, local bees are unable to get the nutrients they need.
Monoculture Farming
Monoculture farming refers to planting only one species of plant over a vast area of land. As bees do not generally fly more than three kilometers from their hives, they are faced with few foraging options.
Industrial Pesticides
A special class of pesticide called neonicotinoids (neonics for short) are being sprayed in both urban backyards and rural farms. When bees eat neonic-contaminated pollen they become dizzy and disoriented. Unable to find their way back home, many die.
How to Help
Even Easier? Impossible.
Because of massive bee habitat destruction worldwide, the best way to help reverse declines in bee populations is to plant local, neonic-free wildflower varieties. In cities. In towns. Everywhere. With urbanization and the increased prevalence of pesticides, bees are lacking the nutrients they need to survive. Compounding the problem, many seemingly “bee-friendly” wildflowers are contaminated. Even just a few uncontaminated wildflowers can make a difference to a lowly bee.
Bee-related scientific research also has a significant role. Research helps government officials pass science-backed legislation on pesticide control and other environmental matters. Knowing more about bees will help us craft better strategies to secure their future.
What We Do
Plant Flowers. Save Lives.
Step 1: Register to Receive Free Seeds
Share your address and we will mail you a free package of seeds for bee-friendly wildflowers local to your area.
Step 2: Make an Optional Donation
You don’t have to make a donation, but every little bit helps. All money raised goes towards funding either our free seed program or bee-related scientific research.
Step 3: Plant Flowers
Plant seeds in late spring, early summer, or fall. Watch beautiful, low-maintenance flowers sprout in a couple of weeks. Don’t worry about being swarmed—you’ll just get a bee drop by to visit every now and then. Remember: bees are friendly and unlike wasps are very hesitant to sting humans or pets.
About Us
A Beecon of Hope.
Despite having been around for millions of years, urbanization, new farming practices, and industrial pesticides are decimating bee populations around the world. Bees need help. Bees need us.
We are a Toronto-based, student-run non-profit organization doing what we can to help reverse the cataclysmic decline in colony numbers. By planting millions of bee-friendly flowers across the country, and funding vanguard scientific research, we help bees get back on their wings. We help bees get back to what they do best: saving the world.
Our impact stretches far beyond the many bees we save each year. Feeding the bees means feeding the world. Ecosystems, farmers, and entire communities rely on bees. With so much at stake, this is a fight we must win. And, beelieve us, we will.