World Bee Day 2023: What's The Significance?

Bees are the vital pollinators responsible for the production of a variety of crops that we eat. These little species work really hard to ensure food security, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity. Honey bees altogether add to the reduction of environmental change and the preservation of the climate.

In the long haul, the security of honey bees and the beekeeping area can assist with lessening poverty and hunger and safeguarding a healthy environment and biodiversity. Bees play a significant role in keeping harmony between people, plants, animals, and the climate. Without honey bees, food would be scarce, and a large population would die from starvation. It is because bees help in increasing the production of crops all over the planet by pollinating.

World Bee Day is celebrated to bring issues to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by the bees and to acknowledge their significance. It is celebrated across the world with great enthusiasm. Various organizations conduct various activities, workshops, and programs highlighting the significance of bees. Charity events also take place so people can contribute funds to preserve bees.

All About World Bee Day?

The United Nations declared May 20th to be observed as World Bee Day to increase awareness of bees, pollination, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development.

The day marks the birth anniversary of Anton Janša. He was a pioneer of modern apiculture who hailed from a family of beekeepers in Slovenia, where beekeeping is an essential agricultural & traditional activity. World Bee Day 2022 theme is - "Bee engaged – Celebrating the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems."

Significance Of World Bee Day

Bees are rapidly declining in many regions of the world and are in grave danger. The causes and drivers of decline are a mix of harm to and loss of regular natural habitats, brought about by intensive agriculture, impacts of environmental change, pesticides and non-native plants.

It's vital to emphasize the decline of honey bees is both a country and a metropolitan emergency. When planned and managed properly, sustainable urban areas can "add to environmental change mitigation efforts by reducing the carbon footprint associated with intensive food production." Urban agriculture greatly aids in reducing climate change by enhancing vegetation cover for bees and biodiversity and reducing surface water run-off.

Why Do We Need Bees?

Pollinators allow many plants, including numerous food crops, to reproduce. For sure, the food that we eat, like fruits and vegetables, depends on pollinators. A world without pollinators would rise to one without food variety - no blueberries, coffee, chocolate, cucumbers, thus substantially more. They also act as sentinels for emanant ecological dangers, signaling the health of local ecosystems.

Pollination is a mainstay of our biological systems. Pollinators do not just assist with guaranteeing the abundance of fruits, nuts, and seeds, but their variety and quality, which is significant for human sustenance.

Most plant species possibly produce seeds if creature pollinators move dust from the anthers to the marks of shame of their blossoms. Without this assistance, many interconnected species and cycles working inside the biological system would implode.

Pollination is thus an essential cycle in both human-managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, it is essential for human livelihoods and directly links wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems.

Bees Are Endangered: Why?

These small buzzers are now considered endangered species due to loss of habitat loss, extreme pesticide use, environmental pollution, rapid industrialization, and urbanization. Moreover, severe weather conditions, unwanted climate change, temperature rise, snow melting, and increased drought are some of the most impactful factors behind bee endangerment.

Unfortunately, thousands and thousands of bees die yearly because of diseases, bacterial infections, and parasites. With this decline in the bee population, eventually, a few plants will go extinct without honey bees to do their part in fertilization.

About 25,000 to 30,000 types of honey bees are potent pollinators, and moths, flies, wasps, scarabs, and butterflies make up most of the pollinating species. Though there is a crucial relationship between plants and pollinators, healthy pollination services depend upon the diversity of pollinators.

The variety of pollinators emphatically affects crop yields. Honey bees and other pollinating species are further improving the food production of 2 billion small farmers worldwide to ensure food security.

Honey hunting also remains a significant part of the livelihoods of forest-dependent peoples in many agricultural nations. On the other hand, a decline of these species has numerous results on our environments and the quality and amounts of food crops, with an immediate consequence of a diet imbalance and depletion of natural resources. The well-being and, surprisingly, the existence of billions of individuals will be impacted. Accordingly, numerous sustainable development goals, such as targeting finishing starvation and the one targeting saving and reestablishing earthbound biological systems, will not be achievable at this point.

Bees have social and environmental eminence in human society, the most encouraging pollinators and makers of food, honey, and restorative items. Both farmed and wild honey bees forestall the development and nature of vegetation and harvests. These little pollinators are fundamental for food security and keeping up with balance in the food web and environment. However, the welfare and number of honey bees overall are declining, and in this way, it is fundamental to safeguard and monitor them to maintain human well-being.

We can uphold these little buzzing creatures, even in the little gardens of our homes, with the goal that they can visit each flower and gather pollen and nectar during their life expectancy. So let's unite and celebrate bee day every year by praising all types of bees and other beautiful creatures who are not even bees! We accept that this world belongs to every creature, and to maintain a healthy balance between humankind and nature, we ought to contribute our part!