What You Can Do for Honeybee Awareness Day
Aug 11, 2020
National Honeybee Awareness Day is on August 15th this year, which means it’s time to remind everyone of those cute little pollinators that are so important to our ecosystem! If you have been wondering how you can play a part in saving the bees this year, and every year, here are some helpful tips to get you started.
Feed the Bees
To get more honeybees doing what they are supposed to in your hometown, you can provide them with lots of good, safe food and water! Make sure to support those who are making an effort to be safe and mindful of the bees.
Bee Gardens
The great thing about bee gardens is that you can plant them wherever you are: apartment balcony, community garden, or your backyard garden — plant pollen-producing flowers like pansies, peonies, or lavender. The more local plants you use, the better, as bees in your area thrive more off the plants they are already used to in your area. Use organic soil and avoid using harmful chemicals and pesticides; these will kill the bees!
If you have a larger yard to plant on, you can also plant flowering trees. Tree blossoms provide a vast food source for the bees and are especially useful if you have a large population around your home.
Drinking Fountains
Bees need a safe place to stop and get a drink of water, too. There are all kinds of cute bee drinking fountain ideas out there, and they are effortless to make. You can fill a dish with water, then toss in stones, sticks, cork, or anything that would be safe for bees to land on to get a sip. Without something to land on, bees will probably drown in the water.
Buy Local and Organic
Supporting your local organic farmers and buying from the farmer’s market in your area is an excellent way to promote farms that do not use harmful pesticides. The most widely used pesticides also kill bees, which is a significant problem for food production. Any little bit of encouragement to stop the use of those nasty pesticides helps!
Give Them a Home
How do you get thriving bee colonies to stay? Well, you build nice homes and nice places to stay, of course! Depending on the bee species you have in your area, you can use several different strategies to help the bees set up camp.
Build a Bee Hotel
One of the biggest reasons bee populations are dwindling is the loss of habitats. We can combat this by providing bee hotels along with our gardens to encourage solitary species to stay. These can be simple to make, like a coffee can filled with small tubes or anything that has a lot of nooks and crannies to nest in. You can find plenty of ideas to make a more complicated piece to match your garden or just some basic hotels made from items you may have lying around.
Allot Some Land
If you are someone with a large backyard or plentiful acres of land, then one of the best things you can do for the bees is allotting a section of an undisturbed area for them to use. Many bees make their homes on untouched land. This is an excellent option if you have the space to do it. You can place the hotels you made in this space, so they stay around for a while.
Support Your Local Beekeepers
Buying from your local beekeepers can help in multiple ways. When you buy directly from the source, you can ensure that these bee farms are using ethical practices to care for their bees. On top of that, buying from local farmers ensures that the profits go directly to their farm rather than through big-name grocery stores.
Local Honey
Local honey is a great buy and should be purchased from the beekeepers directly. Honey from an everyday grocery store is usually processed, contains extra additives, and often does not provide much profit to the bee farms that made it. Fresh, local honey is not only beneficial to the economy but also your health. Local honey is thought to help combat seasonal allergies since the bees that make it has processed the pollen for you.
Beeswax Products
In addition to honey, some bee farms make all kinds of great beeswax products. These can include soaps, candles, skincare, and more. Using these products help make sure that ethical bee farms can stay open, keep saving the bees, and providing you with organic beeswax products.
Be Active, Tell Your Friends
Once you have tried all these options and maybe even mastered them, go out and tell everyone you know why Honeybee Awareness Day is so important!
Post Your Support
Social media is probably the best and most versatile way to broadcast your support for a cause. Use your platforms to share information with your followers and follow organizations that are making an effort to save the bees. You can use social media to keep yourself and others up to date on events and opportunities to help your bee community.
Raise Some Funds
If you feel so inclined, you can also start your fundraiser to donate to organizations that help this cause. Facebook, for example, makes this super easy. You can post a fundraiser for a specific organization with a goal amount on your page, and your friends can contribute any amount they like. If the opportunity arises, do not hesitate to throw a fundraiser party, too. Invite your friends to the lovely bee garden that you have created and help fund the saving of the bees.
As part of The Busby's Cares Community Contribution initiative, on October 4, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air presented Mason and Sharon Schmidt a $2,000 check to help the Trot to Adopt 5K fundraiser. The Schmidts are one of four local families looking to bring children home through adoption. Trot to Adopt 5K is a fun run designed to support four families in the CSRA with their adoption efforts. This year marks the 13th Annual event, and will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023 at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, GA. For more information on the 5K run please visit their website; www.trottoadopt.o rg. Sharon and Michael Schmidt met in 2015 while Michael was stationed in the Army at Fort Huachuca and now live in Grovetown, GA. They’ve been married for 6 years. Mason is an Offensive Security Engineer for the Army and Sharon volunteers as a registered nurse at Hope Women’s Center. Early in their marriage they were diagnosed with unexplained infertility. They are excited about participating in Trot to Adopt which is helping them on their journey of adoption. The Busby’s Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes a donation to a small, local nonprofit organization each month.
As part of The Busby's Cares Community Contribution initiative, on September 20, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air presented Kenny Newborn a $1,000 check for the Military Appreciation Day Bass Tournament. Kenny is a retired, 26 year Army 1st Sergeant and avid Bass Fisherman. The Military Appreciation Day Bass Tournament will be held at Wildwood Park in Appling, GA on Saturday, October 28, 2023. There will be a ceremonial “blast off” at “safe light” and a festival from 11AM until 3PM. This event is open to the public and will take place at the main boat ramp area at Wildwood Park. Proceeds from the Bass Tournament will go to several military charities including Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), Army Emergency Relief (AER) and The Fisher House at Fort Eisenhower. Kenny wants to bring awareness and recognition to those who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces. The October 28th tournament is one of many that Clarks Hill Classic tournaments puts together by DJ Hadden of Hadden Outdoors. For additional information, partnership opportunities or to sign up with a fishing team, please visit their website https://www.clarkshillclassic.com/military-appreciation-day-bass-tournament . The Busby’s Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes a donation to a small, local nonprofit organization each month.
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air Conditioning presented Evans High School with a check for $50,000. This contribution was part of a multi-year sponsorship agreement that will help the high school's Athletic Program. Rick Busby and Busby's Heating and Air Conditioning have served for decades on the school's Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) advisory board. Rick’s two daughters graduated from Evans High School and have gone on to rewarding careers. The Evans High School Athletic Program offers student athletes many opportunities to excel in individual and team growth. All of their athletic programs provide quality coaching and training with emphasis on hard work, discipline, commitment, and perseverance. Athletes are encouraged to always give their best on the field and in the classroom setting. Evans High School’s Athletic Program is committed to continued excellence for its student athletes. Busby's Heating and Air Conditioning is committed to their four pillars of success: Quality, Service, Honesty and Integrity. For over 78 years, Busby's Heating and Air Conditioning has been providing HVAC service, sales, repair, and installation. Family owned and operated since 1945, Busby’s has been serving the heating and air conditioning needs of residents and businesses throughout the Central Savannah River Area of Augusta and South Carolina.
On June 27, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air presented Child Enrichment Executive Director, Kari Viola-Brooke, with a $2,000 check as part of The Busby's Cares Community Contribution initiative. Child Enrichment was established in 1978 by a group of physicians, nurses, and social workers to help abused children overcome their experiences and rebuild their lives. Child Enrichment has helped over 26,500 local children who have experienced abuse, exploitation, abandonment, and neglect since opening its doors to our community's children. For more information on Child Enrichment and its mission, please visit www.childenrichment.org . The Busby’s Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes donations to small, local, nonprofit organizations.
Ahead of July 4th, Busby's Heating and Air and Beasley Media Group partnered to present the Augusta area's first-ever Great American Flag Swap! People from the community brought their torn, tattered, and faded flags to SRP Park on Friday, June 23, 2023 and had them replaced with brand new flags. Busby's Heating and Air and Beasley Media Group were available from 4 to 6 pm and gave away several brand new flags for FREE. All of the retired flags will be properly and ceremonially retired by two local groups, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Boy Scouts. If you missed The Great American Flag Swap, you can still get your FREE flag ( while supplies last ) and donate your worn flags at Busby's Heating and Air from June 24th to July 3rd. Busby's offices are located at 1236 Gordon Park Rd, Augusta, GA. The office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8AM-5PM (Busby's offices will be closed Tuesday, July 4th).
As part of The Busby's Cares Community Contribution initiative, on March 9, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air presented cancer survivor Ann Jones with a $2000 check on behalf of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS). Ann has been nominated as a candidate for the LLS Visionary of The Year campaign. In September of 2020, Ann was diagnosed with Leukemia. Help from LLS's research and patient support enabled Ann to participate in a trial chemo drug study resulting in her entering into remission quickly. Without the help from LLS, this would not have been possible. Ann wants to help bring awareness of the effects cancer has on the mental health of patients, caregivers, spouses, survivors, family members, and friends. Those wishing to support Ann and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can visit Ann’s campaign page: https://www.facebook.com/donate/441475174831141 for more information and donation details. The Busby's Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes donations to small, local, nonprofit organizations.
On March 20, 2023, Busby's Heating and Air Conditioning held its 31st Annual Employee Appreciation Banquet. Owner, Rick Busby and other managers recognized top performers in each department. Awards were also given for safety, years of service, attendance and sales excellence. Each employee who attended (and their "plus-one") enjoyed a fabulous buffet and dessert from WifeSaver and each received logo'd playing cards and numerous door prizes. For the first time in company history, Rick Busby retired one of our employees' jerseys! W.E. Eubanks was recognized for his 65 years of service and was presented with a shadow box of his uniform shirt, wooden tape measure, flip cell phone and other articles. The shadow box will be installed in the company's training room so that future generations of employees will appreciate Mr. Eubank's excellence and dedication to Busby's.
On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air presented the Family YMCA of Greater Augusta with a $1000 check as part of The Busby's Cares Community Contribution initiative. This contribution was made to assist the Y with its annual fundraising campaign. The Y operates more than 50 locations in eight counties across Georgia and South Carolina, including 9 health and wellness facilities, a Child Development Academy, Camp Lakeside (a 100-acre camp in Lincolnton), 27 Primetime After School sites and 19 summer camp locations throughout the CSRA. No one is turned away from the Y for their inability to pay. Each year, the Y gives out $2 million in scholarships to those in need. These scholarships allow more kids to attend camp, provide the opportunity for more families to become members, and gives more youth a safe place to go before and after regular school hours. The Busby's Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes periodic donations to small, local, nonprofit organizations.
On Friday, January 20, 2023, Rick Busby with Busby’s Heating and Air presented Blythe Elementary School with a $1000 check as part of The Busby’s Cares Community Contribution initiative. This contribution was made to assist the school in its efforts to raise funds for student field trips to the Georgia Aquarium. Different grade levels from Blythe Elementary will visit the aquarium on March 3rd, 10th and 17th of this year. The school applied for and received three (3) Sponsored Education Admissions (SEA) Grants from The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta which will cover admissions tickets for all students and employees. Due to county bus driver shortages and the trips extending beyond regular school hours, Blythe Elementary was required to hire charter buses costing $14,400. Donations have also been received from other local businesses and families but the school needs approximately $2900 to finish covering the cost of transportation. Donations are greatly appreciated and may be sent to: Blythe Elementary School, 290 Church Street, Blythe, GA 30805. Donations may also be made online through GoFundMe using this link: https://gofund.me/1e01fbbf The Busby's Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes periodic donations to small, local, nonprofit organizations.
On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Rick Busby with Busby's Heating and Air presented Cancer Support Services Board President, Hap Harris, with a $2000 contribution as part of The Busby's Cares Community Contribution initiative. Cancer Support Services (CSS) is a local, non-profit agency that provides men, women, and children being treated for cancer support for their financial and emotional needs, including lodging and transportation services, to help facilitate their treatment and healing. In addition, CSS helps with prescription costs, medical supplies, past due utilities and rent, and monthly outreach. Individuals can get involved or get help by visiting cancersupportservices.org or calling 706.736.5467. The Busby's Cares Community Contribution is an initiative in which the company makes periodic donations to small, local, nonprofit organizations.