Buzz Bee (the iconic mascot of Honey Nut Cheerios) is missing, and he won't be back for a while. This mysterious disappearance comes at a time when bees are all over social media in the form of jokes and memes, but the missing Buzz is pretty serious. He is an important part of the Honey Nut Cheerios brand, and his disappearance is kind of a big deal. So, why is he gone?

What's the buzz with Buzz?

It's not a joke. Bees actually are dying at an alarming rate. That's why when you buy a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, you'll notice that Buzz the bee is missing from all of the boxes. Cheerios is hoping to spread awareness about the issue of dying bees, and they're getting people's attentions by removing Buzz from their boxes.

Cheerios has stated that "Buzz is missing because there's something serious going on with the world's bees." They're asking customers to do their part to help save the world's bee population by planting wildflower seeds (a goal of 100 million, which has since been exceeded and reached 1.5 billion). 

Why are bees so important?

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Photo by Emma Devlin

In case you don't understand understand the buzz about bees, let me break it down for you. Bees are an inherent and important part of our ecosystem. The Bee Movie showed a dramatized version of a world without adequate pollination, but the reality is still pretty grim. Bees make tons of our crops and food possible, and they are responsible for helping many plants grow. 

General Mills isn't the only brand trying to spread awareness about the bees. Burt's Bees is also launching a campaign to plant wildflowers known as Bring Back The Bees. 

These campaigns are being implemented to help to spread the messages that bees really do need our help, and that everyone should try to #BringBackTheBees and help Buzz Bee