Celebrate World Bee Day May 20, 2021

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Celebrate World Bee Day May 20, 2021

May 20th is World Bee Day

World Bee Day Celebration May 20, 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the international day of celebration is to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem.  World Bee Day is celebrated on the birthday of pioneer beekeeper Anton Jansa, May 20, 1734. There’s good reason to pay attention to the bees. There are over 20,000 bee species and most are in decline. This includes the American honeybee. The honeybee is however a small fraction of the bee population.

Keystone Species

Bees are keystone species — ecosystem engineers that are pivotal in supporting healthy habitats for birds, insects, and mammals in ways not always recognized. They pollinate wildflowers and other plants, which is crucial for maintaining genetic diversity of the ecosystem. They also help create and shape natural areas where other animals live and find food.

Food Supply

Bees and other pollinators are also responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat. Without them, we could run short of a staggering amount of fruits, vegetables, and other crops that we depend on. We can’t let it come to that. Losing bees means that we lose the food that we eat.  Research has shown that increasing the diversity of bee communities on farms can help stabilize crop production.

Did you know?

  • Bees have 5 eyes.
  • Bees are insects, so they have 6 legs.
  • Male bees in the hive are called drones.
  • Bees fly about 20 mph.
  • Female bees in the hive (except the queen) are called worker bees.
  • Number of eggs laid by queen: 2,000 per day is the high.
  • Losing its stinger will cause a bee to die
  • Bees have been here about 30 million years!
  • Bees carry pollen on their hind legs in a pollen basket or corbicula
  • An average beehive can hold around 50,000 bees
  • Foragers must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey
  • The average forager makes about 1/12 th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • Average per capita honey consumption in the US is 1.3 pounds
  • Bees have 2 pairs of wings
  • The principal form of communication among honey bees is through chemicals called pheromones
  • Bees are important because they pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the US including fruit, fiber, nut, and vegetable crops. Bee pollination adds approximately 14 billion dollars annually to improved crop yield and quality.
  • Losing its stinger will cause a bee to die.
  • Bees can communicate and make decisions by dancing.

Five Fascinating Facts About Bees

1. A Waggle Dance

When a honeybee scouts out and inspects a new nest it uses a waggle dance to advertise and debate its merits. The better the site, the longer and harder the bee dances. If another bee bumps into a dancing bee, she will go off to inspect the site and if she likes it, she, too, will waggle. Eventually, the dynamics of the waggle dancing causes about 20 to 30 bees to agree on the best nest site, and they communicate their decision to the rest of the swarm by making high-pitched sounds and by buzzing their wings among the other bees.

2. Bees Can Use Tools

Honeybees in Vietnam and other parts of Asia are threatened by predatory species of a giant hornet that attack bee colonies, killing the adults defending the nest and preying on the young bees. In particular, the voracious hornet species Vespa soror is capable of obliterating an entire hive within hours. In an effort to ward off such attacks, the bees collect fresh animal feces and smearing it around the entrance to their hive. Researchers, call it “fecal spotting.” The study team believe the poop repels the predatory hornets from the nest by reducing the time hornets spend attempting to breach the nest.  “Fecal spotting stands out as extraordinary for several reasons. It marks the first report of honey bees of any species foraging for materials that are not derived from plants or water-based fluids. It is also the first clear-cut example of honey bees using a tool in nature,” the study emphasized.

3. Cold War Confrontation

In the 1980s, “yellow rain” — tiny splotches of yellow were found on jungle foliage in Laos and Cambodia — and was thought to be the residue of chemical weapons. Refugee claimed that the yellow rain caused illness and death. The allegations prompted the United States to accuse what was then the Soviet Union and its allies of chemical warfare. It was later determined that the yellow dots were excretions by massive swarms of wild honeybees.

4. When Bumblebees Get Hungry

Plants produce dazzling flowers laden with nectar to attract pollinators but what’s an impatient, hungry bumblebee to do when those flowers haven’t yet bloomed? When pollen is scarce, bumblebees damaged tomato and mustard plant leaves in a unique way that resulted in the plant flowering up to 30 days earlier than unnibbled plants. For bees, the pollen is a protein source they need to raise their young.
However, warmer temperatures as a result of the climate crisis means that bees are waking up earlier after hibernating for the winter to find the flowers they need for food haven’t yet bloomed. Flowering time, which relies on exposure to light, is less affected by climate change. This creates a mismatch that can leaves bees short of food early in spring.

5. Humans And Bees

Humans have been exploiting honeybees for thousands of years. A cave painting in Spain believed to be at least 8,000 years old shows a man gathering honey. Traces of beeswax on pottery indicate early man was keeping bees 10,000 years ago. Honey has also been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Honey was likely a rare treat in a prehistoric diet that had few sweet foods, and it could have had medicinal uses. Beeswax could have been used to make pots waterproof or as a glue. Today, honey may offer fresh hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance. It contains natural antibiotics to help the body battle infection. Scientists are working on ways to make the sticky substance easier to apply on wounds, and it could be used in surgery, war zones and our own homes.

A Donation To Save The Bees

Help save the pollinators. Consider making a donation to the Friends of the Earth. Donations can be made easily on their website or you can mail a donation to Friends of the Earth, 1101 15th St, NW 11th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2019/10/12/5-ways-you-can-help-save-the-bees-the-second-silent-spring/

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