World Bee Day is always May 20 every year, as designated by the United Nations.
This date was chosen in response to a request by Slovenia to honor bees on the birthday of their greatest beekeeper, Anton Janša (1734—1773), who is considered the father of modern beekeeping. He was appointed by Austrian Empress Maria Theresa as a teacher of apiculture at the School of Beekeeping in Vienna.
Slovenia is a very serious and professional country in how it approaches the plight of bees. As a nation, they hope to raise awareness and make the world a better place for bees. You can read more about their bee mission here.
Kristina Radej is the ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Iran. She recently announced that cooperation between Slovenia and Iran regarding certain aspects of beekeeping has strengthened.
Specifically, in her message to Iranian beekeepers on World Bee Day, she stated that cooperation is growing stronger regarding professional education, sharing new knowledge, methods, and technologies, and implementing effective health control, in the wider field of beekeeping.
The 4th World Bee Day international commemoration took place in a virtual setting due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It promotes self-sufficiency in local food, which is where bees and other pollinators play a vital role in our crops.
This 0:55-minute video by the United Nations Regional Information Centre of Western Europe shows the bee situation:
Slovenia assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this year and hopes that conditions will improve to the stage where important projects can be carried out in the second half of the year. Their activities will focus mainly on promoting beekeeping and pollinator protection and seeking cooperation on an international level.
Slovenia intends to launch some long-term projects to professionally support Iranian beekeepers and encourage them to cooperate and participate in the international community.
When Ambassador Radej addressed the Congress of Beekeepers in Karaj in 2020, she noted that Iranian beekeeping has made incredible progress in recent years. They are trying to connect with the international community, despite challenges.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Beekeepers’ Associations in Slovenia and Iran should push their efforts forward and contribute to more international involvement.
Our blog post on World Bee Day was about the importance of bees regarding fruit and nut trees.
The UN General Assembly has declared 2021 to be the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV). This is the perfect time to raise awareness of how important fruits and vegetables are to humanity.
Pollinators help produce nutritious fruits and vegetables for us. Please learn how vital all bees are to our survival and promise yourself that you will do something to help them this year, even if it is just making other people aware of them. Raising human consciousness is one of the best things we can all do for all bees.