The main purpose of World Bee Day, which is celebrated on 20 May, is to raise awareness about the significance of the bees and other pollinators for humanity.
On 20 December 2017, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) declared 20 May World Bee Day. The initiative came from Slovenia. The date selected was the birthday of the Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping. Janša was the first beekeeping teacher in the court of the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa. By introducing beekeeping methods that were successfully used by Carniolan beekeepers, he caused a real revolution in beekeeping of the time.
Beekeeping is deeply rooted in the Slovenian consciousness. Slovenia is one of the leading EU countries in terms of the number of beekeepers per capita, and the Carniolan honeybee, a native bee species in Slovenia, is one of the most widespread honeybees in the world. The well-preserved natural environment offers good conditions for beekeeping.
The fourth observance of World Bee Day was celebrated – in the midst of a still ongoing pandemic – with a virtual event organized by the FAO on 20 May 2021 under the theme “Bee engaged – Build Back Better for Bees”. The event called for global cooperation and solidarity to counter the threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to food security and agricultural livelihoods alongside prioritizing environmental regeneration and pollinator protection.
Read full article The fourth observance of World Bee Day at slovenia.info
Photo source: www.slovenia.info | Photo by: Ciril Jazbec, Tent Film