World Bee Day- It's a Bee Thing

It's almost spring now,

The crops are ready to bow. 

The scent of flowers wafts in the zephyr with a bloom, 

Here comes the sunshine, to fade the gloom. 

On the way, bees come buzzing around, annoying your jovial mood,

But have you ever known their importance or at least their part in producing food?

I have been working like a busy bee all day to research the reason behind celebrating the World Bee Day, which lies on the 20th of May. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution declaring 20 May as the World Bee Day.

Why did they choose this date?

20 May coincides with Anton Janša's birthday, who is well-known for his modernised bee-keeping tactics in his native, Slovenia in the 18th century. Beekeeping is an important farm activity with an ancestral tradition of Anton Janša.

In 1766, he joined in the first beekeeping school in Europe and since 1769, he worked as a full-time beekeeper.

What happens to the world without bees?

 Pollinators such as honeybees, bats, hummingbirds and butterflies provide a crucial ecosystem service- pollination, the process in which the pollen from the male anther of a flower transfer to the female stigma of a flower.

Are their habitat much adaptable and is there any improvement in their living conditions? I say no. Day by day, it goes worse and becomes a matter of concern.

Pollinators help many food crops to reproduce and they not only contribute to food security, but they stand at a vital position in conserving biodiversity. They serve as soldiers, keeping track of environmental threats and alarm the health of local ecosystem which suffers from perils.

What threats the bee colonies? Well, nature itself! Today's nature is not defined the same as the early folks talked about. 

Let us discuss the possible reasons for the declining population of honeybees. Loss of alluring flower meadows could top the list. This can decelerate the chances of pollination, which is an important work of honeybees. 

The growth of mite called varroa mite on honeybees can reduce the life expectancy of honeybees, especially Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks the honeybees and the disease caused by these mites is called varroosis. These crab-like mites can reproduce only in a honey bee colony. They suck blood from adults and developing brood, especially drone brood. 

The other possible reasons could be monocropping practices, invasive insects, climate change and use of pesticides, which reduce the population of honeybees in an alarming rate.

Things you must know about honeybees - Statistics:

• The most popular pollinators are bees, which are between 25,000 to 30,000 species.
• 90% of wildflowers depend on pollinators for pollination, an essential step for producing seeds.
• Pollinators play a vital role in food production and are responsible for 35% of the crop production.

 Threat to honeybees can make imbalance in the ecosystem and it becomes hard to sustain a global population of 7 billion. What can I do to reduce the menace and save these tiny friends?

Grow flowering plants in your garden, teach the future generation about the importance of bees and reduce the usage of insecticides and pesticides

One idea- let us believe in it. Believing is not enough, so work at it. Our need for the future depends on us!