Our local, and national newspapers and agricultural news journals have reported in recent years the plight of our beloved honeybees and their demise as a result of colony collapse disorder. Although the honeybee is not native to the North American continent and was originally brought over by European settlers, they have been successfully raised here for several hundred years and have become one of the main components of pollination systems responsible for approximately one-third of all pollination of edible crops. In other words, our food supply has become dependent on the health and activity of the lowly bee. So how might this affect us personally and as gardeners, what can we do about it? I am frequently reminded of the plight of the bee when perusing the multitude of seed and plant catalogs I receive or view online. And as most of us are currently in the process of selecting…
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