Now's the time to "bee" friendly
Skincare firm Burt's Bees sets out to "Save the Honeybees"
The buzz has gone off the bees, so the Asia wing of US “green brand” Burt’s Bees is devoting its 30th anniversary to a “Save the Honeybees” campaign. It’s pinning hopes on funds raised through sales of its new “Wild Recipe” product.
Promruck Limsodsai, managing director of Bees Knees Ltd, unveiled plans for the campaign recently at Moon Glass on Sukhumvit Soi 53, saying there’s no exaggeration in the claim that bees are more important than we think. “For such small, short-lived creatures, they do a lot of heavy lifting to keep life on earth in balance,” he said.
“Today, though, bees are in trouble. Seemingly healthy bees are simply abandoning their hives en masse, never to return, and this phenomenon is called Colony Collapse Disorder. The consequence of a dying bee population impacts man at the highest levels of our food chain, posing an enormously grave threat to human survival. We should not let that happen.
“Burt’s Bees would like to invite all of you to save our bees. A third of what we eat is made possible by bees. Oranges, chocolate, artichokes, apples, carrots, tomatoes, cashews, garlic and cherries are just a few foods that rely upon pollination to grow and reproduce. We need bees, and now, they need us, too.”
Bees Knees general manager Sumanus Montrechok explained that the firm hired chef Soradit Maturatai to create the “delicious, bee-friendly recipes” that comprise Wild Recipe. Guests at the launch enjoyed his strawberry pancake with white chocolate – all natural ingredients.
Burt’s Bees is also encouraging homeowners to foster a bee-friendly environment in their yards by, for example, growing more plants. The firm points out that less than half the world’s bee species sting, and even then, only the females.
Foraging bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers as food. Humans are completely safe observing them at work. Just don’t interfere – or go anywhere near the hives – and mind that they don’t accidentally get caught in your clothing.
Honeybees can also play a role in improving our ageing, dull skin. Royal jelly made by worker bees to nurture an infant queen is commonly used in skincare products.
And drawn to these products like – well, bees – are celebrities Ploy Chariyaves, Natprapa Choonhavan and Mathunart Sosothikul, who were at the campaign launch to describe their fondness for Burt’s Bees. Ploy said she loves “green” products in general and especially likes Burt’s Bees’ Radiance Serum. She does her bit to save the bees by gardening, and recommends the plant called the Golden Panda, a corydalis whose beautiful scent attracts the insects by the score.
The royal jelly that beekeepers gather is an excellent source of nutrients as well as gentle to human physiology. It offers 134 nutrients in all, including eight essential amino acids, proteins, minerals and vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, biotin, niacin and folic acid.
Burt’s Bees uses the best royal jelly to make the purest, most natural skincare products for its Radiance collection. For its anniversary, if you spend at least Bt6,000 or accumulate 20 Bees Stamps, you get an “I Love Burt’s Bees Bag” worth Bt2,100. It contains Hand Salve, Honey and Grape Seed Hand Cream, Almond Milk Hand Cream, Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream and Wild Recipe.
