This bee ‘influencer’ is using Instagram to buzz about bee conservation

Je suis B.

Instagram gained a new French influencer and her name is B. She does what all good influencers do — takes carefully posed selfies, posts enviable travel shots and answers cheeky Q&As.

There’s just one thing that separates her from all the other influencers.

She’s a bee.

Just “check out that side bee…”

That’s right. B. has two wings, six fuzzy legs, and a sweet little dusting of pollen all over her yellow and black thorax.

Created by the French philanthropic network Fondation de France, @bee_nfluencer is a whimsically creative way to increase awareness for threatened bee populations and raise money for the cause.

Bee populations worldwide are declining at a dangerous rate, presenting a huge threat to the world’s food supply, which depends heavily on pollinators. Pollinators, which are most often honey bees, are responsible for one in every three bites of food Americans eat, according to the USDA.

B.’s Instagram account gained more than 100,000 followers since she joined in April. The feed is stacked with aesthetically pleasing pics of her buzzing around the world and bee-ing fabulous.

“Trying to get a little tan before going back to work,” reads the caption of a photo of B. lounging in the sand. Do bees need sunscreen?

Just like any good influencer, B. aims to bump up her followers and get sponsored brand partnerships. All the funds raised by her brand sponsorships will go to the Bee Fund, which supports pollinator conservation projects in France.

She’s a bee with a philanthropic mission

In addition to posting flawless lifestyle, travel, and beauty content, B. also shares educational information about bees to her followers in her posts and Instagram stories. Bathtub Q&A anybody?

“I love to read and reply to your comments on my posts from my bathtube!” she says. Even bees have caption typos. And apparently their phones have antennae!?

She won’t collaborate with just anybody. B.’s representatives told CNN that she only works with brands that are engaged in biodiversity programs and are approved by the Fondation de France.

Her first collaboration was with Ricola, the Swiss cough drop producer whose Ricola Foundation supports research and projects to protect bees and promote their health.

The money B. gets from her partnerships is used by the Fondation de France to support farmers in converting to pollinator-friendly techniques, rebuilding bee habitats and demonstrating the harmful impacts of pesticides on pollinators.

So far, B. and the Bee Fund have chosen one project to get them started. The project, called Mayage, aims to unite beekeepers and farmers with careful conservation practices by planting bee-friendly plants and avoiding honey production interruption.

The Fondation de France estimates more than 30% of France’s bee colonies disappear each year. And France is not the only country experiencing concerning bee loss. This year, the US experienced an increase in bee colony loss, which may indicate weaker colony health.

B. even marches for her cause. Luckily, her six legs allow her to hold more signs when she’s striking for the climate cause.

During the week of September’s global climate strikes, she captioned a post, “It is essential to save the planet… And the bees too! Both are threatened and trust me, it would be terrible to live without bees.”

But even bees need a break from their activism.

Shamelessly sporting her unshaven hot dog legs, she says, “Some say hairy, I say fluffy.”

That’s right, B. Body positivity is key.