Destination outdoor Resort Developer “Beelieves” It Can Help Mitigate Colony Crisis
MEMPHIS, TN – RVC Outdoor Destinations (RVC), a leading provider of high-quality outdoor resort resorts in the United States, has recently made a significant foray into the care, cultivation, and colony protection of one of America’s most important natural resources: honey bees.
According to some estimates, approximately 50% of all honey bees in North America are dying every year — a troubling statistic that RVC and others believe is evidence of a deeper ecological disturbance.
Beginning this month, RVC, best known for its nationwide network of comfortable, well-appointed outdoor oriented resorts, has established new, state-of-the-art hives at ten of its resort resorts.
“We are looking to educate ourselves and the wider community” says RVC Chief Operating Officer Yale Spina. “Something’s wrong, and humans need to pay attention.”
“The planet has been witnessing a serious increase in Colony Collapse Disorder over the last few years, which is why we’re acting with some urgency,” says Spina, who proposed the project at a meeting of RVC staff in February. “This has really devastating effects on our ecosystem and ultimately affects human life as well as 33% of our diet”.
“Because we care about the bees, we are going to provide great homes for bees at our resorts and educate our staff and guests about the plight of the bees. Since RVC Outdoor Destinations are located in diverse ecosystems, our hope is that the honeybees will thrive here and help us be good stewards of our land and the overall environment.”
RVC is using hives developed by Flow Hive, (www.honeyflow.com) which allow for easy viewing of the bees at work, as well as simple extraction of honey. The company is partnering with local beekeeping associations to manage the hives and provide the bees with proper care.
RVC’s investment in bees will be accompanied by educational resources intended to illuminate some of the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder — and some possible remedies. The initiative, dubbed “The RVC BEECause,” invites RVC guests to plant bee friendly gardens and use organic growing methods, bring awareness to products that are bee friendly, and be mindful of the pesticides used at in homes – as well as eat more honey.
“We’re asking our guests and patrons to join us in becoming ‘RVC Beelievers’ — we all need to beelieve in bees and what they mean to our lives,” says Spina. RVC will donate proceeds from honey sourced from the Flow-Hives to support local beekeepers and bee-friendly causes.
