About

Honey I’m Home Sanctuary began with a simple idea: what if our local survivor bees had a place where they were always welcome?

Across the world, pollinators are losing the habitats they depend on, and even commercial and backyard honeybees are dying en masse from mysterious illnesses like Colony Collapse Disorder. 

Our local SoCal Survivor Bees, however, are finding ways to stave off the various issues leading to CCD, and thrive in the most unexpected places. Often considered a nuisance when found building homes in backyard birdhouses, sewer drains, or sheds; these brilliant bees are fighting off the diseases killing bees worldwide– and we want to support them. 

SoCal’s local survivor bees, along with just a few small populations worldwide, are exhibiting miraculous behaviors like cleaning off Varroa mites, finding far away food sources in times are scarcity, and even avoiding pesticide-laden crops. But how? Is it genetic? Communicated? We don’t know yet, but researchers at University of California, Riverside are trying to find out. 

One thing we know for sure; if we keep going the way we have been, exterminating every colony we find, we may run out of food before we ever learn their secrets. 

Even rescued & relocated bees are often “requeened” by killing the colony’s current queen and replacing her with one that was commercially bred, in an effort to gentle them and make them easier to handle. This is where it gets crazy; requeened colonies lack the survivor bee traits that make them so special. 

So what do we do? We need to rescue these colonies and allow them to live in peace, leaving the entire colony intact, and let them do what they do best– survive. We also need more pollinator-safe spaces within our communities to ensure food is abundant, accessible, and pesticide free.

We’re creating this sanctuary to give SoCal survivor bees a safe place to live while inspiring folks to plant landscapes that support all pollinators.