The social media world has helped countless companies make their names in their respective industries. Before, social media was solely created to connect people from different parts of the world and different walks of life. Now, it is a haven for advertisement, promotions, and campaigns of all sorts. This is all well and fine if used responsibly and what better way to be a responsible user by using it to spread the word about the dire situation of bees.
Remember how powerful social media is today, your posts will reach hundreds or thousands of people in a span of a few hours, so why not lend your voice to the bees, right? You have the power and the ability to influence so many people at your fingertips. It’s not a bad idea to use the power of social media in informing the world about the increasing number of bee deaths each year and how the extinction of their species can severely impact our lives.
One such social media is Instagram, if you search their site for beekeeping posts, you’ll be flooded with still photos, collages and short video clips under this topic. It is an effective tool used by many to promote the importance of helping the bees in their fight for survival.
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The Story Behind The Popularity Of Bees
Bees started becoming popular because of the Japanese cartoons created in the 1970s. Disney even had their own bee cartoon that they paired with Donald Duck, Pluto and Mickey Mouse on multiple occasions. If you add the cuteness factor, adorable and hard-working attitude of these creatures, it is no wonder that they became popular cartoon characters.
However, in recent years, their popularity has strayed from their usual positive reasons. The bees are now popular because their numbers are continually declining due to a number of reasons. From the countless information gathered through research, the “plight of bees” have been happening for more than 10 years now. The catastrophic effect of the bee’s extinction has experts alarmed. Many have turned to social media to gather more followers and influencer’s in their quest to save the bees.
If you do some research on the most popular social media websites nowadays for bee-related accounts, don’t be surprised at the number of accounts you see. Companies, organizations, and fundraisers have capitalized on social media to widen their reach. Individual beekeepers also have used social media to document their experiences as they go through their beekeeping journey.
So the popularity of bees may have started in the film and entertainment industry but it has matured into a more important role as the years went by. Nowadays, people will search for bees mainly because they are interested in beekeeping or to help the beekeeping community preserve, maintain and increase the current bee population.
5 Interesting Bee Instagram Accounts
Instagram is a great social media account to take advantage of, especially for the purpose of influencing people about the importance of saving bees. Plenty of ideas on how to achieve that can be sourced here and beekeeping communities use this platform to advertise their services and products in their area.
Gretchen Bee Ranch (@gretchenbeeranch)
I find this Instagram account interesting because they not only showcased what their company offers – they have a lot to offer – but their daily lives as well. From the number of mites found after a test to a short video clip of a still pumping severed venom sac, this Instagram account is full of unexpectedly cool posts.
Owned by Mark and Thien Gretchen, located at Texas, this company is like a one-stop-shop for many beekeepers. A quick check of their website showed that they offer honey products (different variants of honey, body care products, beeswax candles, beeswax ornaments, beeswax by the bulk and gift baskets), beekeeping gear (hive kits, beehive gear, and protective gear), and bees as well as beekeeping classes.
The Bee Charmers (@the_beecharmers)
What caught my attention is that this particular user offers Airbnb affiliated apiary tours in different apiaries in Sacramento California. But what really had me checking them out is the fact that they shared a Spotify playlist and being someone who loves music, I checked it out. The Instagram account effectively showcased what they are offering to the public. It is more than just a chance to taste raw, unfiltered and straight out of the honeycomb honey, it is a chance to get an up-close and personal encounter with the bees. This is not just what the account shows the world, it also showed the passion beneath each photo and short videos.
Owned by Rachel Morrison, she fell in love with beekeeping and the bees during the time when she used it as an example of how science works in real life. She used the bees ability to build symmetrical honeycombs and their ability to work in an organized manner, as an example of how even a small act when done correctly can produce large results.
The Bee Charmers also offers hive consultation services, youth education and outreach projects, beekeeping classes for both beginners and intermediate level, swarm removal or rescue, and honey products. Their “adopt a bee” offers are very interesting and might be something, a certain someone who is willing to donate their cash for the bee cause, to consider.
Girl Next Door Honey (@girlnextdoorhoney)
Don’t let the name of the account fool you. This girl is no ordinary next-door girl, she’s a bee wrangler! Her account is full of video snippets on how she removes, rescues and transports swarms of bees or whole hives from an unwanted place to somewhere where they are wanted. Her name is Hilary Kearney and her love for the bees transcend into the work she does and even in her Instagram posts.
She manages two websites, one is dedicated to providing her hometown of San Diego classes and local honey products. The other website offers online beekeeping classes, tours, and classes for kids. She also offers teaching materials in her websites and of course her book entitled “Queen Spotting”. She also has other merchandise available to the public like statement tees, bee suits for kids and adults as well as some useful products for beekeepers.
This girl is your modern-day warrior who is ready to save and rescue bees whenever she could. It’s actually fun to watch her deal with hives that are located in unusual places like inside walls and sometimes on boats. Her love for the bees spurred her to create a network of more than 30 backyard hives in San Diego. For me, she is the perfect example of someone using social media as a platform in which they promote their advocacy. (You go girl!)
Napa Valley Bee Co (@napavalleybeeco)
I love this account because of how the owner puts in quirky items inside his hives. I was particularly drawn by the picture of the blue mermaid toy found inside one of his hives. Upon further scrolling through his account leads me to believe that this was something the owner, Rob Keller, does to have fun. It made smile also and I guess that is what the owner is really aiming for. He wanted his account to contain something different from the other accounts, something fun that would put a smile on the viewers face.
This company is made of three people with Rob Keller as the founder and Emily Bondor together with Marla Bird as Associate Beekeepers. The company aspires to help bees in the fight for their continued survival while still providing the beekeeping community with local bees that are native to Napa Valley. They believe that these local bees are more resistant to diseases that are present in their land than bees that are imported from other locations. In addition, the company also offers beekeeping services such as consultation, management, and rescue or removal of bee swarms.
Their account is filled with photos of their rescue and retrieval adventures as well as macro photos of their bees, hives, and honeycombs. The posts are done in a way where it feels as if you are engaging in a face to face conversation with the owner. (I love it!) That personal touch seems to be working pretty well for the company as they have plenty of followers. Still, it’s the photos of toys and figurines in the middle of honeycombs are my favorite.
Bee&Mee (@honey.bee.center)
My family and I have been slowly incorporating a more self-sustainable lifestyle, especially in our food department. We plant crops in our garden and use our left-over food and garden trimmings to produce organic fertilizers. Bee&Mee caught my interest because they went a step further in from just offering organic honey by using eco-friendly containers such as reusable glass jars, recycled paper, and strings made from recycled materials.
The company is located in Tehran, Iran and their hives are placed in strategic locations all over the country to provide their customers with a variety of honey products. Their purpose is really the selling point for me. They proudly state that their mission is to provide small and sustainable apiary assistance all over Iran and to produce organic raw honey without treating their bees with antibiotics and chemicals. Their Instagram account showcases not just their products and services offered but some cool short clips of bees behavior too.
According to their website, their services include honeybee breeding stock, selected breeder queens, and a selection of e-books for beginners and professionals. They also plan to provide training and field consultancy services soon.
Bee Fund Fondation De France Org (@bee_nfluencer)
This is a bit different from the previous five Instagram accounts and I include this because I think that it is the perfect way to reach out to everyone, no matter the age group. This is an Instagram account made and managed by the Fondation de France Organization for their Bee Fund project. This seems to be the Instagram account of the official mascot, who will serve as the representative of the project. I am pretty much sold out by the fact that they used a CGI rendering of a real bee to give voice to bees.
The organization named the bee, well, “B” and she apparently wants to become a famous influencer so that she can raise money that will then be used to save her kind. The interactive way B talks to her followers through her posts attracted plenty of attention. I guess she is also here to teach us a few things about bees and how their extinction will affect us on a fundamental level.
I am pretty sure that B is a honeybee especially after reading one of her posts stating that she is responsible for chocolates, ice cream, coffee, broccoli, and clothes. She then continued to educate her followers on how bees are responsible for most of the things we humans love. That post convinced me that she is a honeybee. The CGI rendering of “B” gave her some humanized aspect which is really interesting to see in her Instagram account. It made the Instagram account adorable to look at and also fun.
Conclusion
To summarize the whole article, the reason why bees are so popular is not solely because they are adorable but because of the growing awareness of the whole world is developing regarding how important these creatures are.
We can thank social media platforms for that awareness because it has really given the beekeeping community and bee lovers an effective tool to use in promoting the bee’s health. Countless ideas and ways have been designed by fellow bee lovers on how an individual can help the bees survive extinction.
Instagram is just one of these media platforms that actively engage people to participate in the fight for the bees’ survival. I encourage every single one of you to join the bees cause to ensure that the coming generations still have the chance to enjoy the same food we enjoy today.
Bees might be small creatures compared to us but their importance for our environment and ecology cannot be measured by their size.
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I am gonna watch out for bees. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!