World Bee Day – Always in Awe of Bees!
Leading up to 2017 I was involved with supporting the case to have World Bee Day proclaimed. In 2017 it was cause for celebration as the United Nations declared May 20 as the official day. Our small group of passionate international beekeepers leapt into World Bee Day; with the initial plan to create awareness. Six years on we look to build on awareness; we hope to encourage people to stop and think about bees; to convert awareness into actions that safeguard bees, their habitats, and our environment.
Honey bee on pink sedum
Well it goes without saying that World Bee Day is all about bees – but what is it about these amazing little creatures that have us all in awe? Having spent my entire life surrounded by bees, I still continue to be fascinated by just how incredible they are. Immensely beautiful, small but ever so mighty. And so much more than honey!
Simply stop, and watch…
Have you ever stopped to watch a bee closely? They always seem to be in their own little world. They buzz about totally focused on their task, petite, powerful, purposeful, precise. They seem to know exactly what they need to do and they just carry on doing it, hour after hour. It’s so easy to lose track of time watching bees in our garden or at the front of the hives. I imagine what’s going on inside their tiny but intelligent brains; what drives them to work all day for the good of their hive?
They return to the entrance of their hive laden with giant loads of brightly coloured pollen, the only visible clue to their real benefit to humankind and the planet as pollinators of the vast majority of our plants.
I observe, fascinated as they visit flowers that have adapted over time to be more attractive to them, either through their scent, their colour, or their form to ensure their own survival.
“Bees and flowers, to me, are nature at its finest.”
So, how do we share the awe and wonder of bees?
For us, World Bee Day is every day and we are crazy enough to challenge ourselves to inspire a love of bees every single day. It’s actually what we really love doing! To do this we built a Bee School in our hometown of Beechworth and partnered with Wheen Bee Foundation to develop the Centre for Bee Education.
This World Bee Day we launch the release of science-based bee education learning kits – catering for primary school students, to explore and understand bees because from understanding comes awe, love, and then action.
I do hope you’re motivated to focus on bees today, maybe taking a moment to sit watching a bee at work, out in nature this World Bee Day, wherever you happen to be.
– Jodie
5 Simple Actions Helpful to Bees
1. Get Planning… and Planting
Use the Wheen Bee Foundations Powerful Pollinator Planting Guides to help plan and plant pollinator friendly plants that will encourage bees into your garden all year round. My tip – if you can just plant one plant, make it a lavender bush – bees love long flowering lavender and these offer loads of opportunities to watch bees at work.
2. A Pollinator Breakfast!
Challenge your family to work out which foods are most dependent on bees and fill the breakfast table with them. Use the Wheen Bee Foundation’s Pollination Dependency resource to find our what produce is most dependent on bees for pollination! Show your family how boring pancakes would be without all of the beautiful and delicious fresh produce bees are critical in pollinating and helping to produce.
3. Bee Nature Walk
Simply take a walk around the block, the park, or your back yard – surveying your surrounds as you go. Take some time to stop, notice nature, and become aware of how your surrounding might be affecting bees. What is flowering? Are there particular plants that are attracting bees, or are there none at all? An abundance of flowers or a bee desert? Then take just one little action, one little step to change something for the bees who live near you.
4. Donate to the Wheen Bee Foundation
If you want to help but don’t really know how – consider a donation to Wheen Bee Foundation. Australia’s premier not-for-profit charity that promotes awareness of the importance of bees for food security, and raises funds for research that addresses the national and global threats to bees. If you’re unable to donate, consider following Wheen Bee Foundation on Instagram or Facebook, or sign up to their mailing list. It’s a great way to learn about how you can support bees and other pollinators.
5. Bee Education… Only Different!
Ask your school, class, or group to visit us at Bee School by Beechworth Honey. At Bee School, we educate kids about bees to understand how important they are and learn about their essential role in the future of biodiversity and food security. Bee School sessions are 60-minute interactive learning experiences right here in Beechworth, the home of Beechworth Honey.