Polski
Today is World Bee Day to highlight their hard-to-evaluate importance in the global ecosystem and agriculture. But why are these small insects so important? If they become extinct, then the human race will only have four years left – these words, attributed to Albert Einstein, perfectly capture the importance of their impact on our daily lives and the future of humanity.
Bees play a fundamental role in the pollination of plants, and are essential both for food production and for maintaining biodiversity. World Bee Day is an opportunity to draw attention to the many threats facing these beneficial insects and the need to take action to protect them.
World Bee Day – where did this holiday come from?
World Bee Day was established by the United Nations (UN) in December 2017, and the first celebration took place on May 20 of the following year. The holiday was initiated by Slovenia, a country with a long tradition of beekeeping, which wanted to draw the world’s attention to the importance of bees and other pollinators.
The date of May 20 was not chosen at random – it is the birthday of Anton Janša, an 18th-century pioneer of modern beekeeping who came from Slovenia. Janša was one of the first to understand the importance of bees to agriculture and promoted modern beekeeping methods.
The role of bees in the ecosystem
Bees play an extremely important role. They are the main pollinators, responsible for pollinating about a third of the food we eat. Thanks to their hard work, we can enjoy a wide range of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Honey bees, the most important among them, visit 50 to 100 flowers on a single trip, transferring pollen from one to another. This process is essential for proper plant development and leads to seed and fruit formation.
Pollination by bees is of great importance for the preservation of biodiversity. The survival of many wild plants, which are integral parts of complex ecosystems, depends on bees. Without pollination, they would not be able to reproduce, which could lead to their extinction.
Pollination by bees also significantly increases the productivity of agricultural crops. It is estimated that without them, the yields of a significant group of plants would be noticeably lower, and some species might cease to bear fruit at all. Bees contribute to the production of many staple but also less obvious foods, such as almonds, strawberries and avocados. Their work has a direct impact on the quality and quantity of agricultural products available on the market.
Bees are equally important for wildlife. In natural ecosystems, they pollinate plants that form the diet of many animal species. Without them, they could disappear, with disastrous consequences for the entire ecosystem. The extinction of bee-pollinated plants would lead to the disappearance of entire species of animals that depend on them, causing serious disruptions in the food chain.
World Bee Day reminds of the dangers
Niestety, pszczoły są narażone na liczne zagrożenia. Pestycydy, choroby, zmiana klimatu i utrata siedlisk przyczyniają się do spadku ich liczebności. Pestycydy, szczególnie neonikotynoidy, są jednymi z głównych czynników powodujących śmierć tych owadów. Stosowane w rolnictwie chemikalia mają negatywny wpływ na zdolność pszczół do nawigacji i rozmnażania się.
Diseases, such as Varroa destructor mites, also threaten bees. These parasites weaken them, making them more susceptible to other diseases and reducing their ability to gather food. Climate change, in turn, affects food availability and plant flowering schedules, which disrupts bee life cycles.
Bee conservation efforts
World Bee Day is an opportunity to remind people to take action to protect these small but vital insects. Many organizations and institutions are working to implement conservation programs. Educating the public is key. Awareness campaigns, workshops and trainings, not only for farmers and beekeepers, contribute to raising awareness and implementing bee-friendly practices.
One of the most important organizations involved in bee protection is the Polish Beekeeping Association, which has a membership of approx. 35 thousand. Members. The organization conducts numerous educational and training programs to improve beekeeping practices and promote environmentally friendly methods. In addition, supermarket chain Carrefour is running the Let it bee campaign in Poland, which supports the construction of bee hotels. This initiative not only raises public awareness of the importance of pollinators, but also directly helps create safe habitats for these insects.
Also worth mentioning are the activities of Greenpeace Poland, which focus on promoting organic farming and reducing the use of pesticides that are harmful to bees. The organization conducts information and lobbying campaigns to bring about legislative changes that protect pollinators.
In addition, various cities in Poland, such as. Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice, and Gliwice are implementing local initiatives that include planting honey plants in city parks and creating special zones for wild bees, where grass is mowed less frequently.
How can we help?
The simplest ways to support bees and take care of the environment include a few key actions. First, it is worthwhile to host bees in your garden. They will be encouraged to do so by caring for the natural environment. An important step is to leave a patch of unmowed lawn where you can establish a flower meadow, which will become a great place for bees. Planting and sowing honey plants with different flowering dates is another effective way to provide bees with a food source throughout the season.
The use of pesticides during bee flight hours should also be avoided, and pesticides in particular should be abandoned. It’s also a good idea to set up places in the garden with water, called drinkers, which contain small pebbles or gravel. This solution allows bees to drink without the risk of getting their wings wet. By taking these steps, you can make a significant contribution to protecting and supporting the bee population.
Some facts about bees to remember
- There are about 20,000 in the world. bee species.
- As many as 222 (out of about 470) species of bees living in Poland are threatened with extinction.
- More than 300,000. Plant species (more than 87 percent) in the world are pollinated, among other things. By bees.
- Aboutone-third of the food we eat is the result of pollination by honeybees.
- The average bee will produce only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey over its lifetime.
- A honeybee visits between 50 and 100 flowers during a single trip.
- Bees can actively carry food within a radius of up to 1.5 km from the hive.
- Honey bees communicate with each other by dancing.
- A colony of bees consists of 20,000 to 60,000. Honey bees and one queen.
- Working bees are female and live about six weeks, doing all the work in the hive.
- Honey is extremely healthy because it contains enzymes, vitamins and minerals. It is the only food that contains pinocembrin, an antioxidant linked to improved brain function.
- Honey bees are not born with the knowledge of how to produce honey. They learn it in the hive from older individuals.
- Honey bees are very important pollinators of flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Photo. main: Unsplash/Myriam Zilles
