Cheerios helping to save bees

[Catherine]

Cheerios breakfast cereal has started a campaign to help save bees.
They are mailing out packets of wildflower seeds to encourage people to plant bee friendly plants.

The have already sent out 1.5 billion seeds.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=1&at=dt0


Of course there are some groups that object to their seed mix.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=1&at=dt0


Whatever happens to the seeds, the campaign is sure to make people more aware of bees.
Most seed packets like that never grow anything anyhow. The best thing will be for people to be inspired by the seeds and go on to plant flowers for the bees this year.
Any publicity or help for the bees is a good thing.

[Tobi]

It sounds like an inspiring idea to me. Bees actually do like those flowers mentioned. Forget me nots are lovely flowers. Yes they are hardy and spread, and yes they might not be native to certain areas and crowd out native species...
They certainly spread a lot here in UK, but it is a sea of blue where they grow, and bees and other pollinators love them.

I think this will inspire children, and make them more aware of the problems with bees. I remember being dozy at the breakfast table when I was a child, and read the cereal boxes while I was eating because it was about all I could concentrate on at 7.30 am!

Some cheap seed packets like that work fine. I remember finding a packet of spinach seeds at the back of the drawer once, and the expiry date was 10 years past! But they grew perfectly well.

[Catherine]

I have a fine crop of Forget me nots in my back garden. It is a sea of blue in the spring. I must collect seeds and spread them further.
Most of us grew up reading the cereal boxes. It is all I could look at a breakfast time as a child. I am not much better now.
It is a great way to speak to children. If Cheerios can get children interested in helping bees then the campaign will be a success.

If some flowers actually grow then it is a double victory.

Spinach is pretty tough. It grows anywhere. Some of the wildflower seeds need a bit of care. Some wont grow in certain areas.
I think the mix sounded alright. It just might not be suitable for all parts of the country.

At least they are trying to do something. We should praise them for it and encourage them and other companies to do more.  And yes I do still eat Cheerios. I like them.