Jan2

bombs for bees.

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the bees could really use some help. in the last 10 years, a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder (ccd) has killed off huge numbers of honeybees around the world. it’s normal for beekeepers to lose 10–15 percent of their hives each winter, but beginning in 2006, beekeepers started reporting losses of 30–90 percent. scientists believe ccd may be caused by a combination of pesticides, parasites, and a decline in wildflowers as more and more land is developed.

this is where seedles come in. each “bomb” contains wildflower seeds packed in compost and brightly colored clay. “planting” them is easy: you just throw them on the ground and wait for the rain, sun, and soil to do their work. the candy-colored seed bombs “practically grow themselves,” says the company’s website.
there are six varieties, one for each region of the country, so bee lovers can be sure to plant native flowers that will thrive in their area.

seedles are the brainchild of ei ei khin and chris burley, a couple who initially hoped they could get people to plant a million flowers. they surpassed that number in 2014. in an email to mental_floss, burley (now the company’s “pollinator-in-chief”) said they’ve since set their sights higher: a billion flowers for the bees.
they are especially concerned about the interdependence between honeybees and our food supply. of 100 major american crops, 70 are pollinated by bees; without them, we might not have apples, almonds, carrots, or avocados. to encourage interest and awareness in the plight of the bees, seedles partners with local food companies to give out free seed bombs. because they’re pretty, simple, nontoxic, and foolproof, the seed bombs make great educational tools.

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credits: seedles, mentalfloss, kathy horowitz

53 responses »

  10. Nice idea. I’ve thought about replacing lawn with wildflowers, and this provides incentive. However, raising public awareness of pesticide pollution is a deeper concern of mine, because it is so rampant. In South Georgia, where I live, the county dumps malathion from helicopters over the marsh, rivers, city, and surrounding regions to control mosquitoes. I’m apparently the only person in the county who objects, at least out loud, and I’m tired of going it alone. This same county can’t afford to maintain the drainage ditches, and standing water is a perpetual source of poison-resistant mosquitoes. “To Pay the Piper” on my blog goes into some detail about the eco-rape perpetrated in the name of public safety.

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  14. Yeah! What a great idea – and share Beth!
    We have two bee hives and one of the biggest issues are parasitic varroa mites that live on them. Nature kills herself too, but we can intercede with chemicals to kill the mites. Yin and Yang…

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  18. V naší zemi, ještě není tak mnoho trávníků, sekaných se zarputilou vytrvalostí, máme ještě přírodní louky ale móda se již vkrádá i k nám a včelky jsou i u nás nemocné a napadené roztočem.
    Rozmnožit květiny po světě je zajímavý nápad, i když neobhajuji zásahy do přírody všeobecně, vždy to má nějaké vedlejší následky. Příroda je nejmoudřejší, dáme-li jí svatý pokoj. Objímá Anna, hodně štěstí v novém roce 2016.

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  20. What an incredibly wonderful idea! It makes so much common sense. We have native plants in our front yard and grow California poppies every spring. The bees are very attracted when they do arrive. One year, I watched with despair as bee after bee just crawled on the ground and died one after the other for no reason that I could determine. For a couple of years, we had just few. Then, last year, we had a lot of them. I hope that trend continues.

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  22. Pingback: Sunday Share | All In A Dad's Work

  24. Hi there
    We were doing seedbombs for a little while as part of our workshops in schools/ at the zoo. While it as a fairly good exercise for involving kids, we weren’t convinced that they were actually effective methods of planting- lots of people suggested they didn’t work/ strangled themselves inside the ‘bomb’ if too many seeds/ germinated too soon etc etc. I wondered if you had any further suggestions on how to make them effective?
    Thanks so much, great post and lovely blog 🙂

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    • thanks for reading and commenting. i found the idea in a magazine i respect and thought that the concept was wonderful, especially for including children. as for effectiveness, i’m not sure as i haven’t tried it yet myself. i teach kindy and am working towards a more outdoors-based curriculum and think bees would be a wonderful part of their learning. i checked out your blog too and love the concept –

      best, beth

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