Hemp Could Help Save the Bees

September 27, 2019

Researchers Discover Hemp Provides Food and Habitat For Bees

Bees love Hemp and it provides an excellent source of nutrition during the season they need it most, a time of year when few other options are available to them, a new study concludes.

Expanding hemp cultivation in the United States could provide a valuable source of pollen for foraging bees.  Researchers from Colorado State University set up bee traps in industrial hemp fields during peak flowering season to determine whether hemp was a good food source for bees and it turns out it is.

The researchers collected almost 2,000 bees from 23 different bee species. Nearly half of those were classic honeybees. Hemp flowers are apparently “prolific pollen producers,” making them attractive to a diverse abundance of bees. On top of that, they bloom right when bees need them most. Hemp flowering occurs between the end of July and the end of September, a time when other pollinator-friendly crop plants are scarce across the “heartland” of the United States

Industrial hemp can play an important role in providing sustained nutritional options for bees during the cropping season, the study says. In addition to food, hemp provides a habitat for the bees. Lack of habitat or diminishing healthy habitats is one of the major stressors facing bee populations.  In the United States especially, a country where much of the acreage is dedicated to non-pollen producing mono-crops covered in bee-harming insecticides, introducing more pollinating crops is critical to the survival of bees and the ecosystems they occupy.

With the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018 legalizing hemp cultivation, there will be an increase in the amount of Hemp crops being grown which will, in turn, benefit the Bee population greatly.  80,000 acres are already under cultivation, with permits for another 15,000 acres awaiting approval. There has already been a big upswing in the types of products being cultivated from Hemp and that is only going to keep increasing as the public begins to further understand the benefits of Hemp and Hemp-based products. Hemp oil has numerous health benefits, including those that improve skin health thanks to its nourishing vitamins and moisturizing qualities. It hydrates skin, soothes inflammation, reduces acne breakouts and has anti-aging properties. Skincare products such as made in the USA, cruelty-free Tevenere Botanics hydrating day moisturizer is infused with hemp seed oil extract and other beneficial botanical and it’s available in a mini size handy to carry in your purse.

So now not only can you care for your skin with the benefits of Hemp, you’ll know you are helping the environment and the Bees too!

Sharing is caring!