Easy Ways to Protect Bees: Saving the World, One Bee at a Time

It doesn’t take much to save the world, one bee at a time! Here are some very simple tips you can do to protect bees on your homestead.

“Saving the world, one bee at a time!” That is what a lady told me as I got out of my car. She must have noticed my license plate as it stands for “Beekeeper”. I smiled and replied that it doesn’t take much! You see our lovely state of Virginia has a special ‘Protect the Pollinators’ license plate. This special (revenue-sharing) plate design gives $15 of the $25 purchase to VDOT that supports the Pollinator Habitat Program. Not only is the plate bee-utiful, it gives back! I mean who wouldn’t want a fancy license plate with flowers, butterflies, and bees!!

Why Is it Important to Protect Bees?

Before we talk about different ways to protect bees, it’s important to understand why they need to be protected in the first place. 

Pollination!

The majority of food crops rely on pollination from bees. In fact, over 80% of flowering plants (fruits & veggies included) are pollinated by bees! This means that a decrease in honey bee populations equals a decrease in efficient food production. 

Honey & Byproducts

Honeybees provide a delicious food product- honey! As well as beeswax, propolis, and pollen that can be used for health body products (like salves). 

Environmental Issue Indicators

Bees have been referred to as the modern “canaries in the coal mine”. When the environment is experiences unusual circumstances or stressors, the bee population tends to decline. Their decline is often one of the first signals that something is wrong from habitat loss, disease, or pesticide exposure. 

Ecological Diversity

When you create an environment that is favorable for bees, you will also attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects to your space. 

7 Easy Ways to Protect Bees

There are many ways you can start helping pollinators thrive in and around your property.

1. Leave the Weeds

There are many ways to protect bees and ensure that our insect friends have a fighting chance to carry on their legacy. It can be as simple as “letting your dandelions grow.” A common weed to most people is extremely important to our bees.

In early spring, when a bee colony begins its journey of the pollen hunt, dandelions, clover, henbit, nettles, ground ivy, and other food sources bloom for our black and yellow fuzzy friends. 

Instead of spraying or mowing low to remove these “weeds”, let them grow for a while so the bees can take advantage of the food during the flowering phase. 

2. Plant a Pollinator-Friendly Garden

If you decide to take a more proactive approach, then feel free to plant herbs for honey bees and bee/pollinator-friendly plants. 

Something to consider is to plant a variety of native plants that will bloom at different times throughout the spring and fall. Honey bees need to eat until they retreat to their hives for the winter. 

I found wonderful advice from my local nursery about blooming variety and timing. 

You can also look for wildflower seed packages for pollinators, the great thing about these is that they already have the correct combination of flowers that bloom from spring-fall!

Choose Heirloom and open-pollinated plants for your vegetable garden when possible. These varieties tend to produce more nectar an pollen than hybrid crops. 

3. Provide a Fresh Water Source

Do you have a bird bath or even a shallow basin? Filling it with marbles and clean water is another simple way to help. Did you know that a single bee will drink its weight in water everyday? 

I once read that a large colony of 80,000 bees could drink up to 24 lbs. of water each day! You can even put bowls under your gutter drains to catch the rainwater and it hardly takes any effort!

Easy DIY: How to Build a Bee Waterer

4. Avoid Harsh Herbicides & Pesticides

One of the easiest ways to help protect our pollinators is to be aware of pesticides and herbicides. Some of them are toxic to bees, and some aren’t. Many of them will leave a toxic residue for days or weeks. It is better to introduce good bugs to provide natural protection against pests, and to weed by hand. I am currently reading about the use of ladybugs in gardens to combat aphids!

Some natural alternatives include:

• Weeding by Hand
• Neem Oil
• Companion Planting
• Row Covers

5. Make a Safe Space for Wild Bees

When bees are moving from one space to another, they need safe spaces to rest. Many bee species are also solitary- meaning they do not live in a hive with a colony of bees, but they instead nest alone in wood cavities or in the ground.

You can help these bees by:

• Leaving the leaves. Don’t remove all of the leaves from your yard. Many solitary bees overwinter in leaf litter. If you chop up or remove these leaves, you risk killing bees already in the pile and/or taking away their option for shelter. 
• Install bee hotels. These are aestetically pleasing and they can help multiple species of bees.
• Undisturbed ground can offer shelter for ground-nesting bees.
• Provide rock piles, dead limbs, logs, and sticks for bees to find shelter in.

6. Buy Local, Raw Honey

By purchasing local, raw honey, you support local beekeepers who are practicing sustainable beekeeping. It is important to support beekeepers/companies who prioritize healthy bees over mass production of honey. 

7. Raise Bees Yourself

One of the best ways to support the bee population is to raise bees yourself. Backyard beekeeping keeps honey bee colonies multiplying and thriving. Just be sure to do plenty of research and follow sustainable beekeeping practices and don’t give up! 

My first year of beekeeping was successful as well as a pretty hard failure. I’m sure you may be wondering why I am saying it like this, but in reality my bees did their job—just not as long as I was hoping. Unfortunately, they didn’t survive the winter, but their legacy wasn’t in vain. They helped pollinate so many plants in their lifetime and for that, I am extremely thankful. 

You will hear so many “failure” stories, and people who have decided to hang up their veil and walk away from beekeeping. The main thing to remember is that even if they don’t survive…that doesn’t mean total failure! It took me a little while to accept this, but as I unzipped my suit, I knew that I had to continue.

For anyone who wants to get into beekeeping, find a class, join a club, and pick an awesome mentor.

8. Raise Awareness About Protecting the Bee Population

Saving the bees requires an effort by many people, not just one. Take some time to teach those around you about the vital role bees play and what they can do to help.

• Share photos of bees in your garden on social media with captions about the importance of bees.
• Host garden tours so people can see the bees in action.
• Advocate with your local government to support policies regarding pesticide use, green spaces, etc.
• Teach your children about bees.
• Work with neighbors to create pollinator pathways in your community.

Just remember that it doesn’t take much to protect bees and save the world, one bee at a time!

Homestead Honeybees

Keep reading for even more information that you may find useful as a beginner beekeeper!

• Beginner Beekeeper Tips
• Growing Herbs for Honeybees
• Raising Bees with Children
• Different Colors of Honey

Written by Kaylee Richardson in 2018 | Updated by Homesteaders of America in 2025

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