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Health & Fitness

Healthy Bees, Healthy Lives: How The Beez Kneez is Making a Difference (and, how you can too!)

by Jennifer Ebeling

The old saying, “The Bee’s Knees” used to mean something small and insignificant. But, what Kristy Allen and Erin Rupp are doing with their business, The Beez Kneez, is something extraordinary.

In this week’s episode of the Still Growing podcast (SG525), Kristy Allen and Erin Rupp of The Beez Kneez give us an in-depth look at their innovative company, anoverview of the growing bee crisis, and simple steps every gardener can take to help one of our most beloved pollinators: the honey bee.

“There are some concrete individual actions that people can take that will help the bees.
Planting bee forage is awesome.
Eliminating your pesticide use – that’s great. That really will positively impact bees, other pollinators and other insects.
Also, supporting local farmers. As consumers, that’s our biggest power.”
– Erin Rupp, The Beez Kneez

Since their initial chance meeting in a “cloud of bees” at a local apiary, Kristy and Erin have created their own special buzz about their honey delivery business by delivering honey on their bikes… dressed as – you guessed it – bees

"I had a bike that needed to be painted because it had been through a couple winters. So, I decided that I would paint my bike to look like a bee and deliver honey to people’s doorslike the milkman delivers milk."
-Kristy Allen, The Beez Kneez

This inspired, young company is about more than just pedaling honey. On a mission to promote “healthy bees, healthy lives”, the duo work tirelessly in the area of bee education andadvocacy as well as urban bee keeping and running their very own honey house

"What’s really exciting about honey is that we don’t know year to year if its going to be the same or different because people are planting such a variety of things here in the city.
In the country, you know what’s around you – your landscapes, basswood trees, etc. 
The bees collect nectar and they turn that nectar into honey. And,whatever flower they are collecting from will determine the taste of the honey.

We as beekeepers know, that if we put bees on those buckwheat fields when they’re blooming, the honey is going to be primarily buckwheat.
Isn’t that wild?"
- Kristy Allen, The Beez Kneez

You’re sure to bee inspired by this honey of a business!

Click here to access the complete interview at 6ftmama.com (audio version available) 

or Listen to the show on Stitcher!

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