The Bee Crisis

I am very pleased to announce that William Glen has joined with the Black & Light Candle Co. to partner with the University of California Davis and their critical research on the honeybee crisis.

Over the last three winters, more than one in three honey bee colonies in the U.S. have mysteriously died.  This is a staggering phenomenon scientists have named Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Because honey bee pollination is required to produce one-third of all the natural foods we eat, honey bees play a critical role in ensuring we have enough food to feed our growing population.

Three basic factors are hampering research into the honey bee crisis: gross lack of awareness among the general public, zero meaningful action aimed at alleviating the problem, and lack of funding to determine the cause and address much-needed solutions.

Funding on the scale required to tackle this issue also remains unresolved. The Farm Bill approved by Congress last year included a provision to fund more research, yet Congress has not yet allocated the money, putting the allocation in question. In the meantime, bees continue to die by the billions.

This is why William Glen is participating in the Black & Light Candle Co.’s “Save the Bees” program.  The following are some simple things we can all do on a grass-roots level to help this important cause.

• Create a “bee friendly” garden with plants that attract honey bees. Select a plant with a long growing season or a group of plants that together will offer flowers from spring through fall. A great resource for information can be the horticulturalist at your local plant nursery.
• Try to avoid insecticides in your garden. Instead, promote good bugs (called 'beneficial insects') in your garden — bugs that will happily eat the bad bugs chomping on your plants.
• Every time you buy a Bee candle from WilliamGlen.com a portion of the proceeds of the sale go toward helping the UC Davis honey bees crisis research.
• Tell a friend — The honey bee disappearance is already having an effect on the world's most beloved foods.  Remember: Knowledge is Power!

The bee design on the candles from Black & Light Candle Co. can be described as the Classic Napoleon Bee. There are four colors in stock in our four inch pillar, with the six inch available in black. 10 % of net proceeds on all sales of all bee candles are donated to the University of California Davis’ research on the Honeybee Crisis.  

These candles are unique, providing the most dramatic top to bottom glow, developed by our candle maker partner thirty years ago. They are unscented on purpose and are packaged by mentally and physically challenged in reusable packaging designed with enough elegance and grace to eliminate the need for wrapping paper if given as a gift.

Research conducted by:

Professor Eric Mussen Ph.D.  Extension Specialist in Apiculture, Susan Cobey ~ CV Specialized Classes to Promote Stock Improvement.  Manager of Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, bee breeder and geneticist, researcher, instructor Dr. Norman E. Gary (Emeritus), specializing in honey bee behavior, especially foraging, communication, stinging, reproductive behaviors, Dr. Robbin W. Thorp (Emeritus), specializing in pollination ecology and wild bee species, Dr. Christine Y.S. Peng (Emeritus), specializing in honey bee nutrition, digestion, and reproductive physiology Dr. Robert E. Page, Jr. (Emeritus), specializing in evolutionary and behavioral genetics of the honey bee, Dr. Claire Kremen (Affiliate), conservation biologist at UC Berkeley, specializing in native bee pollinators.