ELLICOTT, Colo. — Hanson Honeybee Farm beekeepers said their bees are already behind in production because there aren't enough flowers right now. It takes bees 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.
"If there's no nectar for them to go after, we have to supplement them and it's not as healthy for them," said co-owner Barbara Hanson.
Honeybees only have 35 days to pollinate as many flowers as they can, said Hanson. They can die sooner if temps get below freezing.
"And with a population decrease, it causes them to not produce as much [honey]," said Hanson.
Colorado State lawmakers are taking away deadly bee pesticides from store shelves.
Hanson said this law will help save the bee population. "They're going to be strong enough to give us the honey that we consume and they're going to stay happy."
With more bees huddling together, Hanson said they can survive colder weather. This will keep honey production going.
"One in every three bites you eat is because of the honeybees pollinating," said Hanson.
To help, Hanson said it's better to plant later.
"It used to be like, 'I'm going to start planting on Mother's Day,' and now we encourage June 1st," said Hanson.
'No Mow May' is another way to help, said Hanson. By not mowing your lawn until June, honey bees can use the extra flowers, like dandelions to make more honey throughout the season.
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