Free seeds for a bee-friendly garden

Want to put a little spring color in your yard, help the environment and save money at the same time? Get some free flower seeds that will help fight the disappearance of honey bees.

Sign up for The Great Sunflower Project and researchers will send you some sunflower seeds you can grow at home. Once they've bloomed, they'll ask you to collect some basic information to help them monitor bee patterns. Go to www.greatsunflower.org to find out more.

Haagen-Dazs is also giving away two million bee-friendly flower seeds. To request bee-friendly seeds from the Haagen-Dazs brand, consumers can send their request to hdloveshb@gmail.com. Supplies are limited, so if they run out before you get yours, here are some other tips from the Haagen-Dazs Web site:

• 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 found at www.helpthehoneybees.com, or from the horticulturalist at your local plant nursery.


• 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. A comprehensive resource for information is www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/ and http://horticulture.psu.edu/extension/mg.


• Tell a friend. The honey bee disappearance is already having an effect on the world's most beloved foods. However, many people have yet to learn about this issue and how they can help. Visit www.helpthehoneybees.com to send a Bee-Mail or to create your own animated honey bee to help spread the word.

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