Bee happy on World Bee Day 2024
This is a timely article written for the #mayinleo series with today being Day 20 ....
All photos of the bees are taken by the author.
In this wee piece we are going to explore:
- What is World Bee Day?
- How can I celebrate World Bee Day?
What the fluff is World Bee Day?
The UN Member States approved Slovenia’s proposal to proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day in December 2017 1
Why did Slovenia propose this and what is special with May 20?
To answer that we need to rewind ourselves in history and go all the way back to 1734!
Yes 17 fluffing 34... The reason being that May 20th 1734 was the date when Anton Janša was born in Breznica, Slovenia. So yes, there is the connection with Slovenia.
Anton Janša is widely recognised as the pioneer of beekeeping...
I have just read about him so pardon me if I put a couple of quotes in here from ANTON JANŠA
Anton Janša was born in 1734 in Breznica, the Gorenjska (Upper Carniola) region of modern-day Slovenia. Growing up in a family that owned more than a hundred beehives
His inventive approach and good sense of observation led him to revolutionize the craft of beekeeping by introducing several novelties that had a considerable impact: he invented a new beehive design; perfected the techniques for the production of buckwheat honey, defined the role of drones and queen bees and wrote books on apiculture.
This then tells a bit more about why he is the modern pioneer of beekeeping!
To honour his legacy and to raise awareness about the importance of bees and bee products, the Beekeepers Association of Slovenia with the support of the Republic of Slovenia, gave the initiative at the United Nations Organization to mark the birthday of Anton Janša, May 20, as World Bee Day.
The purpose of the international day is to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem.
It really should be World pollinator day, but people would rather associate something we bees after all we all now they are good right?
The bee is the Ambassador of Pollinators.
So bottom line is we know how cool bees are but did you know that there a whole host of other pollinators?
Well you soon fluffing will!
We are buzzing all over the place ....
Back to World Bee Day 2024 .... The focus is on the theme "Bee engaged with Youth." This theme highlights the importance of involving young people in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts, recognizing them as the future stewards of our environment.
To that end they have several publications and infosheets and social media posts etc that are meant to be shared to raise awareness. I shall be mentioning them here and of course sourcing them...
YOU KNOW YOUNG PEOPLE SO SHARE INFO ON WORLD BEE DAY 2024 AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP!
Let's start with a sobering thought .....
If the #bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.
Four more years and then life over for humans and everything else....
NOW HAS YOUR ATTENTION BEEN GRABBED ....
The UN Site I mentioned is actually Food And Agricultural Organisation of The United Nations
source
Pollinators by fluff we need them ... Those pesky wasps are even pollinators too.
Fancy some facts ..?
Did you see point 1 ...
75% of crops rely on pollinators, I mean that is mental. I know people think of bees and go honey oh yes that is cute.
Close to 75 percent of the world’s major crops benefit from pollinators, particularly fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Pollinators such as bees, birds and bats, contribute to 35 percent of the world’s total crop production, pollinating 87 of 115 leading food crops worldwide.
Almost 90% of the world’s flowering wild plants (approximately 308 000 species) depend, to varying degrees, on pollinators for their reproduction.
5 to 8% of current global crop production would be lost without animal pollination, representing an annual market value of 235–577 billion USD.
Pesticide use is considered to be among the top-3 drivers of pollinator decline in almost all parts of the world, together with habitat loss and fragmentation and environmental pollution and their interactions.
Bees are life .... Bees are our lives!
Okay Okay Bees and Pollinators are fluffing important, but what can I do to help?
Here are some things that you can do, maybe not all but let me know if you havedone any or will do any now you know they are so important and in need of our help....
Planting a diverse set of native plants, which flower at different times of the year, and don't cut your grass so short!
Buying raw honey from local farmers;
Buying products from sustainable agricultural practices;
Don't use pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in your gardens;
Protecting wild bee colonies when possible;
Sponsoring a hive (this is fun to do);
Making a bee water fountain by leaving a clean, shallow water bowl, with rocks or sticks in it so that bees don’t drown;
Raising awareness around us by sharing this information within our communities and networks;
The decline of bees affects us all!
At the very least you can do the bottom two? Agreed ....!
Sources and Reference documents
This article is an entry for this month's Inleo writing initiative.
You can find all the details in May Inleo - Monthly Prompts
Todays prompt is World Bee Day 2024
BeeOurGuest website ANTON JANŠA page
FAO World Bee Day | 20 May
Thanks for visiting but before I go today is Monday... If savingthe bees and saving our planet does not get you stirred up for motivationalmonday then I really don't know what will!
All ramblings are from me, the mad Scotsman TengoLoTodo unless otherwise stated, note lead image is generated with AI on pixlr .com from a prompt by me.
