For some time now there has been a buzz about the bees concerning their gradual population decline. Some have even said, "Yeah, but I don't eat honey so it doesn't actually affect me," but really, it does. According to the Berkeley News, at least a third of the food products you eat are pollinated by bees, and without them that food supply would suffer incredibly. A "Bring Back the Bees" ad campaign is seeking to bring this problem back into the media's spotlight, presenting help in an all new form: wildflowers.

To do this Burt's Bees has released its own take on the Bring Back the Bees campaign. By losing the b's in your tweets or by buying a limited edition lip balm, Burt's Bees (or urt's ees) is promising to plant 1,000 wildflower seeds 'in your honor,' which go towards their goal of one billion. That's one billion with a very big B.

Lea Michele has produced a video with Burt's Bees explaining just what the company plans to accomplish:

Meanwhile Honey Nut Cheerios have created their own buzz through their absent mascot. Buzz the bee is currently missing from ads in Canada in order to raise awareness about bee population declines. They have the same goal to plant 35 million wildflowers. These flowers will be a large step in helping the bee populations in danger begin to thrive. They have also produced their own commercial ad supporting the bees:

We need to understand the reasons for the death of the bees. Cover crop (flower) absence, pesticide and herbicide residue, monoculture crops leading to 'crop deserts', and deadly parasites and diseases are leading to the rapid decline of many bee species. To reverse this, we must plant bee-friendly flowers, plant cover crops, decrease our use of pesticides and herbicides and reverse large monoculture areas.

'Tomato ticklers' and paintbrushes can't be the future of pollination. The most complex society available for pollination is not us, it's the bees.

For more information about bees, why bees are so crucial to crop survival (and thus our own), and what you can do to help you can watch the above Ted Talk or visit Honey Nut Cheerios' website dedicated to bringing back the bees.