World Bee Day 2024: Celebration, history, themes, significance and more | Lifestyle

World Bee Day is celebrated every year on May 20 to mark the birth anniversary of Anton Jansa, who has mastered the skill of beekeeping. The United Nations established this day in 2017 after understanding the critical role of bees in ensuring food security, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

The annual event, World Bee Day, is celebrated to make people aware of the role of bees and other pollinators in maintaining the health of our planet and ensuring food security. It also aims to promote biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. Hence, it becomes essential to involve young people in bee conversation efforts to protect vital pollinators.

World Bee Day 2024: History

World Bee Day was established after Slovenia’s successful proposal to the United Nations in December 2017. May 20 marks the birth anniversary of Anton Jansa, a pioneer of modern beekeeping, born in 1734. With the Slovenian Government and NGO Apimondia’s support, the UN General Assembly adopted this day to honour the significance of bees and other pollinators. The first World Bee Day was celebrated on May 20, 2018.

World Bee Day 2024: Significance

Bees play a vital role in the environment by pollinating plants, supporting agriculture, promoting biodiversity, and also ensuring the survival of many plant species. Beekeeping plays a significant role in providing a livelihood for millions of people across the world. Unfortunately, the bee population is reducing significantly due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. World Bee Day highlights the need to protect these essential creatures and promotes sustainable practices to protect their future.

How is World Bee Day 2024 celebrated?

Every year, World Bee Day is celebrated in different ways to spread awareness and support for bees and beekeeping:

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  People visit local beekeepers to learn more about their work and the importance of bees.
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  Set up small bee farms in gardens or terraces to support the bee population.
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  Dress up like bees in costume and compete in bee-related activities. It spreads awareness through fun competitions and events.
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  Support beekeeping charities and organisations that solely focus on bee conservation.

Interesting facts about bees

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  Honeybees can fly up to six miles at 15 miles per hour.
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  An average bee produces a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
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  For one kg of honey, bees fly around 90,000 miles and visit around two million flowers.
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  Only female bees sting and they die after stinging.
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  There are over 20,000 different species of bees in the world except for Antarctica.
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  Bees are the only social insects which are partially domesticated by humans.
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  A honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a single collection trip.
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  Bees don’t have knees, they have jointed legs.
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  Bees communicate through dancing.

First Published: May 20 2024 | 1:02 PM IS