Julie Andrews would be so proud.
Sir David Attenborough is hoping to help save the world’s bees one spoonful of sugar at a time.
The legendary British broadcaster and naturalist offers a way to stave off the decline of the planet’s tiny pollinators. If you encounter a bee that appears motionless or near death, don’t despair. It’s merely an SOS and you can help.
“Simply mix two tablespoons of white, granulated sugar with one tablespoon of water, and place on a spoon for the bee to reach,” Attenborough writes on Facebook, instructions perhaps best recited in the broadcaster’s voice.
And voila, the bees will bounce back.
“In the last 5 years the bee population has dropped by 1/3. If bees were to disappear from the face of the earth, humans would have just 4 years left to live.” Attenborough explains. “This time of year bees can often look like they are dying or dead, however, they’re far from it. Bees can become tired and they simply don’t have enough energy to return to the hive which can often result in being swept away. If you find a tired bee in your home, a simple solution of sugar and water will help revive an exhausted bee.”
He urges people to share his post.
And they have — more than 450,000 times.
They are also sharing their bee-nourishing success stories on his page and elsewhere online.
Hungry little fellas.
I was getting changed this morning and this lovely little bee crawls out from under my bed. It wasn’t flying and was a bit docile so I decided to feed it sugar water to hopefully give it some energy…❤🐝 David Attenborough would be proud #savethebees #davidattenborough pic.twitter.com/NXQzOy3vpK
— Vanessa Spence (@owl_bird) June 20, 2018
I just fed a tired bee some sugar water ! pic.twitter.com/N7ojFngXeE
— Em 🏳️🌈 (@ahgaem) June 21, 2018
Just saving a tired bee #savethebees 2 sugar mixed with one water. pic.twitter.com/2JxxsKFfI9
— Just Tracy (@TracyRo7) June 19, 2018
Seen a struggling #bumblebee? Share a drink with it this #30DaysWild! Our Director Pete found this tree bumblebee & set about reviving it with a sugar water drink 🐝#bees pic.twitter.com/IhAKZbyzfl
— Devon Wildlife Trust (@DevonWildlife) June 20, 2018
give the bees some drips to sip this summer. set out some sugar water for the babies (one part warm water, one part sugar). help the dehydrated dudes bc they help us. pic.twitter.com/ZRuQaxHlCM
— gracen (@vvcomfy) June 22, 2018
This little feller was knackered so gave him some sugar and water, it’s like red bull for bees. He’s now happy on a flower in the garden #savethebees #sugarandwater pic.twitter.com/9jqVxKlx5o
— Jason morris (@Jasonm72) June 20, 2018
I was getting changed this morning and this lovely little bee crawls out from under my bed. It wasn’t flying and was a bit docile so I decided to feed it sugar water to hopefully give it some energy…❤🐝 David Attenborough would be proud #savethebees #davidattenborough pic.twitter.com/NXQzOy3vpK
— Vanessa Spence (@owl_bird) June 20, 2018