Bees and other pollinators are essential for keeping people and the planet healthy but their populations are rapidly declining. The World Bee Day on 20 May is an opportunity to promote actions that will protect and enhance pollinators and their habitats, improve their abundance and diversity, and support the sustainable development of beekeeping. The 20th of May was designated as World Bee Day by the United Nations General Assembly after proposal of the Republic of Slovenia in 2016. It has been celebrated each year since 2018 with the support of Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Association. The 4th World Bee Day will be celebrated with a virtual event organized by the FAO on 20 May 2021 under the theme “Bee engaged – Build Back Better for Bees”.
The honeybee not only provides honey and other important products (such as royal jelly, bee pollen, propolis, bee venom, wax) but also contributes together with other pollinators to the pollination for over 80% of crops and wild plants in Europe.
Gotsiou Panagiota, Biologist MSc, CIHEAM -MAICH
Kokkinaki Adamantia, Biologist MSc, CIHEAM –MAICH