WORLD BEE DAY

In July 2017 the UN decided to designate May 20 as World Bee Day. We all depend on bees as pollinators. Nevertheless the pollinators are endangered: the extinction rate of some species is 100 to 1000 times higher than normal due to human impact:

Human caused climate change
Pesticides
non-sustainable agricultural practices (monoculture)
loss of habitat

For a healthy diet, we need nutritious crops, such as fruits, nuts and many vegetable crops. These depend on pollinators. Without pollinators, our diet would become unbalanced – think of how you would feel without almonds, apples, berries, cucumber, pumpkin, chocolate or coffee. According to FAO, 75 percent of the world’s food crops depend at least in part on pollination by insects and other animals.

Pollination is a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems.

There are 2 billion small farmers worldwide who rely on pollinators to improve amount and food quality. This is important to ensure food security for the world’s population and a source of jobs and income for the poorest families around the world.

We need pollination for medicinal products, for biofuels, for fabrics like cotton and linen and other construction material.

Pollinators inspire art and science, religion, literature and music. Structures of the honey comb inspire car and aircraft industry, software and communication companies alike.

World Bee Day

Did you know ?

In some areas in China pollination is done by hand. China killed sparrows which ate the crop on the fields. In turn the amount of insects grew. As a result more and more pesticides were used and bees and other insects died.
To make 1kg of honey, bees must visit 4 million flowers and fly 4 times the distance around the world.
One honey bee alone can produce 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its life.
Only the queen bee lays eggs, around 1,500 per day. Worker bees are all female. The male bees “drones” don’t sting and are killed by the female bees in fall.
Honey bees are the only bee species that die after a sting.
There are 25,000 to 30,000 different species of bees.
A honey bee can fly as fast as 24km/h.
It is estimated that between US$235 billion and $577 billion worth of annual global food production relies on direct contributions by pollinators.

What can you do to help bees ?

make sure you plant a diverse set of native plants which ensure you have flowering plants all year around
instead of a perfectly cut lawn consider to saw some bee flowers
buy honey, fruit and veggies locally
buy food which is grown sustainable and organic