Helping honeybees make a comeback

November 01, 2011

General Mills Corporate Communications

Most of us don’t give much thought to bees. But startling declines in the nation’s bee populations suggest that we should start paying more attention to these fragile four-winged creatures given their vital role in the pollination of important agricultural crops.

At General Mills, company scientists are lending their expertise in establishing bee-friendly habitats that will enable these critical pollinators to thrive.   

Thanks to a grant from General Mills’ agricultural research department and our Small Planet Foods division, bees will soon have a home alongside the valley of the Jolly Green Giant in southern Minnesota.

Thanks to a grant from General Mills’ agricultural research department and our Small Planet Foods division, bees will soon have a home alongside the valley of the Jolly Green Giant in southern Minnesota.

This fall, General Mills’ agricultural research farm in Le Sueur dedicated a two-acre site to serve as a sanctuary for bees.

Tom Rabaey, a senior scientist at our agricultural research center, and his team of agronomists planted native grasses and native flowering herbaceous plants specifically designed to attract wild bees, as well as managed bee colonies that will be brought to the site.

A similar habitat will be established on the Paynesville, Minn., farm of Steve Peterson, director of sustainable sourcing for General Mills.

The pollinator habitats will provide bees with access to clean water, suitable nesting grounds and abundant sources of pollen and nectar that are essential to their survival.

The sites are expected to be fully established and ready for populating next summer or fall. Rabaey and his team hope to expand the development of habitat sites to other General Mills’ locations.

 

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