July 10 has been designated as “Don’t Step On A Bee Day.”

While initially used as a safety reminder to children (and adults) to not walk around barefoot in the summer and risk being stung, this day has, more recently, also become a prompt to call attention to the plight of bees world-wide and the importance of bees. One report points out that, since 2006, colonies of honeybees have been declining in population by approximately 30% per year.

An issue of Women’s Health Fitness e-zine points out that “(the) Bee pollen actually contains all of the nutrients you need to live. Certain studies on mice that have been fed exclusively bee pollen and nothing else have not shown any signs of malnourishment. Some of the bee pollen benefits have to do with the fact that bee pollen has high concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E.”

A June 2012 CSRWire article (that can be read at http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/34285-Burt-s-Bees-Creates-Wild-For-Bees?tracking_user=tracy@sustainabilityconsulting.com&tracking_source=email) points out that ” It turns out Bees do more than most people realize–for such small, short-lived creatures, they do a lot of heavy lifting to keep life on Earth in balance. In fact, one third of the most delicious and nutritious foods on Earth simply wouldn’t exist without bees. Because they are instrumental to biodiversity, they are what scientists call indicator species, so they function as a buzzing alarm system for the health of our planet’s ecosystem.”

Recent media coverage of a proposed ban on pesticides as well as the “Decline of the Honey Bee” event has brought the plight of the bee further into the spotlight. And so, on July 10^th, let’s remember just how important the bee is to our every-day lives.