Happy World Bee Day!!! 🐝

Posted on by under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

In the midst of so much happening in the world, I almost missed World Bee Day!!!  I was reminded when I saw a post by my friend Bee Halton — thank you, Sweet Bee!  This is a re-post of the one I wrote two years ago for World Bee Day, but some of you haven’t yet seen it, others may have forgotten it, and it says everything I would say if I wrote a whole new post.  Today is World Bee Day and I cannot think of another species that deserves its own day of celebration more than bees!  Quite literally, our lives depend on bees, and the bee population has been in serious decline for years now.  Be kind … plant some bee-friendly flowers this week as a special treat for these fuzzy little guys, k?  And PLEASE … keep the chemicals out of the garden, the yard, and anywhere else you might be tempted to use them.

Bee-1While every critter, every plant has its place in the ecosystem on planet earth, there is perhaps none more important than the bee.  Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.  Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land.

bee-thumbs-upTo raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the United Nations designated May 20th as World Bee Day. The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.

bostjan-noc

Boštjan Noč

As it was told to me by a dear friend, a Slovenian beekeeper by the name of Boštjan Noč was driving home one day, listening to a program about “World Days” and their meanings, and he wondered why bees did not have their own day.  After all, as important as they are, surely they deserved a day as much as any.  As President of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, Noč was in a position to rally the others and launch the World Bee Day Initiative.

cute-beeThe initiative was supported by the Slovenian Government, which strove to make it happen.  It took some time … three years, to be exact, but finally on November 17th 2017, the resolution was unanimously backed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, thus designating May 20th as World Bee Day. The initiative was supported by all UN states, while 115 countries also acted as co-sponsors, including major countries such as the U.S., Canada, China, Russia, India, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and all EU Member States.

Why May 20th?  Because May 20th is the birth date of Anton Janša (1734–1773), a Slovenian beekeeper, the pioneer of modern beekeeping and one of the greatest authorities on the subject of bees. The Austrian Empress Maria Theresa appointed him to the post of permanent teacher of apiculture at the new School of Beekeeping in Vienna. He became well known even before his death in 1773. After 1775, all state beekeeping teachers had to teach the subject in accordance with his teachings and methods.anton-jansa

bee-1So, now that you know the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ behind World Bee Day, what can we do to help the bees?  For one thing, we can plant bee-friendly flowers in our gardens, and … don’t mow down those dandelions and clover … bees love those, and frankly, I think they are just as beautiful as any hothouse-bred flowers!  Another is we can help force companies like Monsanto, Dow, Bayer and others to stop using bee-killing pesticides on their crops.  How?  First, stop buying their products.  I’m not a fan of buying organic produce, for it is over-priced and doesn’t keep as long, but … if that’s what it takes, then so bee it.  You’ll find some other ideas and suggestions on the World Bee Day website … be sure to check it out, for there is a wealth of information there, including lists of bee-friendly (honey) flowers and much more.

I don’t know about other countries, but in Slovenia some beekeepers decorate their bee hives with some fun artwork …bee-artwork

And speaking of coincidence, as I began writing this, I reached for my coffee cup and realized I was drinking out of one of my favourites … no comments about the overflowing ashtray, please!bee-cupI think the words of Mr. Noč speak as well as any I can offer ….

“I believe that we all agree that every human being on this planet deserves food every day. We have to produce more food every day, and every day more food is dependent on pollinators – with honey bees in the lead. Talking about reducing global hunger without ensuring the conditions for the survival of bees and other pollinators would simply be like throwing sand in people’s eyes!

It is time for everyone to listen to bees, in particular, leaders and decision-makers. From today on, 20 May will be a worldwide celebration of bees and beekeepers. I believe that – with the proclamation of World Bee Day – the world will begin to think more broadly about bees, in particular in the context of ensuring conditions for their survival, and thus for the survival of the human race.” – Boštjan Noč

And, I thought a cute bee video might bee just the thing to wrap up this post!

Happy World Bee Day!!!bee-day

40 thoughts on “Happy World Bee Day!!! 🐝”

  1. Yay for Bees, yes they do deserve a day of their own and you did a good job with this post. Love your coffee mug. 🙂

    I hadn’t known about the World Bee day and did you know what day it is today??

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, my friend! Yes, if we don’t protect the bees, we are doomed to extinction … pure and simple. I love that mug, too … I first bought one for my friend Herb (he lives in your state, in Mount Holly Springs) ’cause he’s a hiker and his trail name is Bee. And then, my daughter bought one just like it for me!

      Um … well, let’s see, since I’m a day or two behind on answering comments, you probably mean what day it was yesterday … um … nope, can’t say as I do, but I know that tomorrow/today now … Wednesday … is National Wine Day!!! So, what day was it when you asked that?

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  3. Our garden is a ragged place where plants do as they durn well pleased, popping a dozen or so paces from where they were planted and who knew where the holly bush came from???
    Anyway, the bees seem to like it, we get regular visitors, and little flies with kind of bee markings which are also pollinators.
    ❤️🐝

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Thanks so much for the mention and your informative post. I’m quite surprised though that you think organic fruit and veg don’t last as long as others. Our experience is quite the opposite. We get our fresh fruit & veg from a box scheme that supports local farmers but also organic farmers from further away. It’s seasonal and always fresh and lasts much longer than what you can get from the supermarket. Through the pandemic and now with the war on it also has the advantage that we always keep getting the same amount of fresh stuff while people buying in supermarkets get low quality fruit and veg and a lot less than it used to be. Brexit has its impact too because so much produce is stuck in Dover at the border controls. 🤗 Great Post. Thanks for sharing and again thanks for the shout out! 😍

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    • My pleasure, dear Bee! Thank YOU for reminding me of this very important day! Hmmmm … perhaps it’s the difference in our countries, or perhaps the fact that I only buy produce from the supermarket for the most part. There is a local farm that is open a few months during summer, and we do visit them once or twice a year because I like supporting local farmers and because I like the idea of the produce being that fresh. But, their prices are higher than the grocery store, so it’s not a regular solution and not a solution at all during cold months. 🤗

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      • No, I don’t think so. We have a similar experience with the local farm shops. Box schemes where they send you a box full of fruit and/or veg seem to be a bit better. Even though we tried others than our usual and the quality was different. Maybe we were just lucky to end up with this scheme. They are doing it for 30 years or so and have some experience. 🤗

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    • No, it’s man’s doing. Too many pesticides, chemtrails, cell towers, acid rain. If possible, allow ur garden to grow wild, wildflowers feed the bees with nectar so they can reproduce. Bees do quite nicely in the countryside when left alone.

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    • It is the same here, my friend. Ten years ago, we could barely open our door in mid-summer without a bee trying to get into the house, else dive-bombing our head, but today … they are few and far between. We planted our entire tiny yard full of bee-friendly flowers two weeks ago and some are already peeking their little heads up, so I’m hoping the bees will enjoy them.

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    • I noticed we hardly have any mosquitos anymore. And I, for one, am happy about it. 🙂 I know it’s prolly not so gud for ze environment but … ya kno?

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      • Yeah, I know … mosquitos seem to love me and it can sometimes make being outside in the evening a pain. I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right … I haven’t seen as many of them around lately. Plenty of flies, though!

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    • It wasn’t highly publicized here this year either … perhaps with everything going on in the world, it fell by the wayside. But there really isn’t much of anything more important than protecting the bees, is there? It’s the weekend again, Michael! I hope you have a great one … get out and do something fun! xx

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  12. Pingback: Happy World Bee Day!!! 🐝 | Filosofa’s Word | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  13. This is a great post! Just this year I let the hedge around my home go hog wild. The hedge produced pollen flowers out the wazzoo and bees came in from all over to partake. I think the weather alerts for high pollen content in the air were because of me not trimming my hedge. OMG! It’s like a pollen smoke grenade goes off everyday! And the bees are loving it!

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    • I’m glad you liked it! And good on you for letting your hedge grow and inviting the bees over to partake in all that lovely nectar! I live in an townhouse complex where the management hires a landscaping company. In the past, they’ve always sprayed twice a year for “pests”, but I put a big sign on the front of my house that says, “NO CHEMICALS”. They still mow the grass every week, cutting down the gorgeous dandelions and wildflowers, and there isn’t a thing I can do about that, but we DID plant our front yard full of bee-friendly flowers 2 weeks ago. We always grow sunflowers and the bees seem to love those. Each summer when I’m out watering the flowers, the bumblebees come talk to me and sometimes even land on my nose so we can have a more devoted conversation!

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