According to the Bee Conservancy, Bees lie at the heart of our survival. They pollinate 1 in 3 bites of food we eat and are essential to the health and prosperity of countless ecosystems. However, bees are in peril. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, more than half of North America’s 4,000 native bee species are in decline, with 1 in 4 species at risk of extinction. There are more than 20,000 different bee species around the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) found a growing number of pollinator species around the world are on the brink of extinction. So what do we need to do to protect these valuable, keystone creatures, and stop destroying them with harmful chemicals? Our guest this week is Regina Blakeslee, a natural beekeeper, who gave us some important information about these hard working and essential pollinators. Regina is co-founder of Hudson Valley Natural Beekeepers and has taught beekeeping and planting for pollinator classes at Hilltop Hanover Farm. She is presently the beekeeper and volunteer gardener/farmer at DIG Farm in North Salem… wanna give a shout out to Allison Turcan at DIG FARM! Regina is a healthcare professional, beekeeper, master gardener, horticultural therapist and permaculturist. She believes that the health of the Earth, humans, animals and plants are inseparable. #BEEGREEN #RaiseYourEcoConsciousness. Subscribe to TMSOG podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and more. Check out past shows on MalcolmPresents.com and HudsonRiverRadio.com. A shout out to The Green Divas!