World Bee Day - May 20

In 2007, beekeepers around the world discovered that 40 billion bees had disappeared from their hives. If the disappearance of the bees continues, we will be in serious trouble.

Bees are one of the most important animals for the continued existence of humans, and in recent years there has been a fear of their extinction because their numbers are declining. The bees are pollinating animals, the ones that transfer the pollen of the plants from the males to the females, in order to reproduce them, and without them this process will be harmed. Bees also help warn of environmental hazards and when a local ecosystem is not functioning properly.

The extinction of bees will not only result in a worldwide shortage of honey, but also of fruits and vegetables.

Photo courtesy of: Yoel Yaron

The dangers facing bees are invasive insects, pesticides and land use for uses other than agriculture, and thus their nutrients are reduced and bee colonies are under serious threat.

Following the discernment of the declining bee population, initiatives have arisen to protect them. One of these initiatives is World Bee Day, announced by the UN in 2017.

The date of May 20 was chosen because it is the birthday of Anton Janša, the pioneer of the bee industry who was involved in beekeeping and honey production. Janessa was born in Slovenia in the 18th century, and was the first beekeeper in the world.

How to mark Bee Day around the world?

Plant wildflower seeds (from which the bees produce nectar), and grow plants in the garden that do not need much water or special chemicals to grow.

Get to know the local beekeepers and learn from them about the craft of making honey.

Buy / prepare / eat honey or foods that contain honey.

Read and learn about bees and other pollinators, and how we can stop bee extinction.

May 20 is also Quiche Lorraine Day

World Honey Bee Day - the third Saturday in August

World Honey Bee Day was founded by beekeepers in the United States in 2009.

Honey is a sweet liquid, full of sugar, produced by bees of the honey bee genus. Honey is the sugar secretion of bees.

There are many types of honey, among which there are differences in chemical composition, texture, color, smell and taste. The differences between the types of honey are due to various factors such as the species of insect that produced it, the sources of sugar (nectar or honeydew) from which it was produced, the weather conditions, the type of soil and the geographical location.

Honey was discovered in prehistoric times. Murals in caves discovered in various parts of the world testify to the fact that man used bee honey thousands of years ago.

The word honey appears in the Bible 54 times, 21 times of its content in a phrase that describes the Land of Israel as "a land flowing with milk and honey."

Honeymoon is the period of 30 days after the wedding, which according to universal belief, if one eats honey in them every day, the married life will be sweet and full of love and understanding.

Among different nations believed to have honey increases male potency. For this reason, some tribes in Morocco tend to let the groom eat a lot of honey before his wedding.

Vegans do not eat honey because it is a product of the work of bees and in the honey industry there is cruelty to bees. Bees also have the ability to feel and get hurt, and honey loss involves killing maggots and bee larvae and killing adult bees. When a hive no longer supplies the beekeeper, he tends to destroy it with all the bees inside. When you transfer the bee queen to a new hive, you cut off its wings so that it can not fly to its previous hive.

More bad sides to the bee honey industry:

Beekeepers tend to kill bears and badgers that are a threatening factor in the honey they produce because they are also interested in it. In the world, many bears and badgers are killed by beekeepers.

The artificial multiplication of bees for honey production leads to a change in the pollination patterns of the flowers, resulting in damage to the entire ecosystem.

Honey Day in the coming years:

2020- August 15

2021- August 21

2022- August 20

2023- August 19