General Mills, owner of the Honey Nut Cheerio's brand, just made a startling announcement. In an effort to bring attention to the shrinking population of honey bees, the company is removing their mascot, from cereal packaging. Buzz the bee, will buzz no more. According to CNN, this is the first time ever in the United States, that a bumblebee has been listed as an endangered species .
General Mills launched a bring back the bees campaign. They were to send out 100 million packets of wildflower seeds, that when planted will restore shrinking bee habitats.
They have at this point exceeded their goal. And have given away 1.5 billion packets of seeds and the campaign is now over.
What happened to the bees?
According to scientists, there are multiple factors as to why the bee population is facing possible extinction. These include, loss of habitat, climate change, pesticides, disease and a wasp population that is multiplying. Another factor might be the stress that bees incur, when forced into trucks and driven across the continent, for the purpose of pollinating bee free zones of North America.
Bumblebees have a far reaching effect on our environment. They ae responsible for pollinating about one third of the fruit and vegetables in North America.
They also contribute about 3.5 billion dollars to American economy. This is why there is such an uproar about their possible demise.
Time is of the essence, and certainly not on the side of the bees. This is why Environmentalists raised concerns, regarding an executive order signed by President Trump. As a newly elected Commander in chief, Mr.
Trump signed the edict halting agencies from making new rules for 2 months. It is believed this two month delay may lead to the extinction of the bee population.
General Mills has kept hope alive
Now that General Mills, has sent out the 1.5 billion packets of wildflower seeds, hope is alive, and springs eternal. Those worried about the extinction of the bees can breath a little easier.
Once those flowers are planted and begin to grow, bumblebees can increase pollination. And the cycle of life can go on as It was intended to. Perhaps also, one day Buzz the honey bee, will once again be the cereal mascot. And will grace us with his presence on packages of Honey Nut Cheerio's yet again.
