Can Hemp Help Save the Bees?

At Sacred Garden, our philosophy revolves around holism: the idea that the whole plant is greater than the sum of its parts. True to this wisdom, we create full-spectrum products, which means that each cannabinoid and terpene from the original plant is integral to the final fruit of our labor: medicine. This principle of interconnection is also at work on a much greater scale, in the ecosystem at large. This is evidenced by the fact that stressed-out, late-season honey bees are seeking the pollen of male hemp plants.

You may have heard that the population of bees is dwindling due to degradation of their overall habitat. Causes range from mites and parasites, global warming, and pesticides used in industrial farming. Bees are consequently in grave need of a pollen source from a sustainable crop. Pollen and nectar from a diverse range of plants provide bees with phytochemicals that help them develop tolerance to pathogens. As such, researchers are finding that bees vastly prefer hemp over genetically modified crops, such as the canola flower.

Hemp flowers late in the season, between July and September, the very time when bees are hard-pressed to find sources of pollen from farm crops. So, the fact that bees are drawn to hemp is a testament to the necessity of permaculture and ecologically sustainable farming. Taller hemp plants attract 17 times more bees than shorter plants. Additionally, greater areas covered by hemp will attract greater amounts of bees. In a nutshell, this is all the more reason to grow hemp. 

The message is clear: For multiple species, hemp is extraordinarily healing in more ways than one.