World Bee Day confirmed by Apimondia

The International beekeeping congress Apimondia 2015 took place in Daejeon in South Korea, which gathered beekeepers and scientists from 86 countries and 125 beekeeping associations. The Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association presented the initiative of proclaiming 20 May as the World Bee Day, which was accepted among the delegates and confirmed by Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations.

On the International beekeeping congress, Apimondia 2015 in September, the Slovenian Beekeepers` Association (SBA) presented the initiative to declare the World Bee Day, supported by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. The initiative was accepted among the delegates with great excitement. “Slovenia will strive for the proclamation of the World Bee Day by the United Nations,” committed Dejan Židan, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia in position of Vice-President of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. He believes that international cooperation in jointcare for the bees will contribute to achieving better results in the protection of bees and beekeeping development.

The proposer of the initiative, Boštjan Noč, the President of Slovenian Beekeepers Association, said that in beekeeping history, 16 September will be remembered as the day when beekeepers from all over the world supported the initiative of the Slovenian Beekeepers Association to proclaim 20 May as the World Bee Day which will be send to the United Nations.

Gilles Rattia, the President of Apimondia commented: “it is time that our politicians will become aware of the importance of bees for agriculture and would like to congratulate Slovenia, member of Apimondia, for excellent initiative to proclaim the World Bee Day. Future generations will be grateful for that.”

Bees and other pollinating insects are crucial to our quality of life. As much as one third of all food produced in the world depends on pollination, and bees are the most important of all pollinators. The day honouring bees would be celebrated on 20 May, which is the most pleasant month in the development of a bee and the day when Slovenia marks the birth of Anton Janša (1734–1773), the pioneer of modern beekeeping, one of the best bee experts of his time and the world`s first professor of modern beekeeping at Vienna College of Beekeeping. The time around May is the time when numbers in a hive increase to the point where further reproduction is unimpeded. In the south hemisphere, it is the time when bee products are put into storage and bees prepare for the winter.

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