Celebrate World Bee Day with us!
Celebrate World Bee Day with us!
20 May will mark the 6th anniversary since bees and other pollinators were brought to the spotlight for the first World Bee Day. Also this year, the occasion will be used to draw the attention of the general public to the fact that bees and other pollinators are vital to our survival on this planet. Explore amazing bee stories on our portal.
The initiative for World Bee Day came from Slovenia and it is celebrated on the date of birth of the great 18th century bee expert Anton Janša.
In 2017, the UN General Assembly declared 20 May as World Bee Day. Slovenia's initiative was supported by 115 countries at the time, and the proclamation of World Bee Day is a success for Slovenia as a whole, for several governmental and non-governmental institutions, and for diplomacy. The declaration is a symbolic victory - a recognition that bees are under threat, but also an obligation. The awareness of the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators must reach every individual. This year's World Bee Day is also an attempt to draw the attention of the general public to the fact that bees and other pollinators are of utmost importance for our survival on this planet.
On this occasion, Patricia Oudit, a journalist from Le Monde, France's largest and most important media outlet, will work on a longer report on sustainability and bees. On the trip, which is supported by the Slovenian Tourist Board, she will visit Ljubljana, Bled, Celje and Laško. She will also take part in the celebration of World Bee Day, which will this year take place in Celje, and present sustainability through the stories of Zero Waste and the Green Scheme for Slovenian Tourism.
To get an insight into all inspiring stories and experiences connected bees, honey and beekeeping in Slovenia, visit a special landing page on www.slovenia.info.
If you haven't yet, make sure to listen to Feel Slovenia the podcast, which was recorded last year and hear from Lucie Grace, a British journalist who visited Slovenia to write a feature on its apiculture traditions, Mateja Reš, who runs the Garden of Tastes, Dr Peter Kozmus, one of Slovenia’s leading beekeepers who leads the breeding program for the Carniolan Gray Honey Bee as part of the Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association and Gorazd Trušnovec, who was the first urban beekeeper in Slovenia.
Slovenia is very proud of its native Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica), one of the most widespread honey bees in the world. Its characteristics reflect Slovenia's national character in many ways, as it is hard-working, modest, resistant and has an excellent sense of orientation. The Carniolan bee is protected under the Livestock Act, and in the pre-accession treaty to the EU, Slovenia protected its territory as the Carniolan bee's native area, thereby committing itself to do everything possible to preserve it.
The importance and visibility of Slovenian beekeeping is also demonstrated by its inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Beekeeping has thus become part of a rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage that unites the countries of the world in respect for the achievements of past generations and inspires the creativity of contemporary expressions and social practices. The recognition is also a tribute to all the beekeepers who, through their way of life, nurture tradition, pass on their knowledge and skills from generation to generation, and through their love of nature and bees, ensure a delicate ecological balance and sustainable development.
World Bee Day will be celebrated with a number of events around the world. Beekeepers' associations, national governmental and other institutions and global organisations are also marking the occasion. This year's main national celebration of World Bee Day will take place on Saturday 20 May in Celje as part of the Beekeepers' Festival. At international level, the biggest event will be organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The event, which will take place in a hybrid format on Friday 19 May under the theme 'Engage for bees and pollinator-friendly agricultural production', will bring together experts from all regions of the world to present different ways of beekeeping and the diversity of bees and wild pollinators. The Guest of Honour will be the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar.
As part of World Bee Day, the Golden Bee Award will be presented on 24 May at the Presidential Palace. This is the third year of the award, which will this year be awarded in the field of research on bees and other pollinators - the award has already been given for the promotion and information on the importance of bees and other pollinators and the conservation of bees and other pollinators.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food
Pilot monitoring finds 239 bee species, including a species seen for the first time in Slovenia
On the occasion of the upcoming World Bee Day, the National Institute of Biology presented the results of the monitoring of wild bees in Slovenia. The three-year survey found 239 of the 575 species of wild bees (bumblebees and solitary bees) ever recorded in Slovenia. The survey took place in five areas: in the region of Celje, between Mengeš and Kranj, around Lake Cerknica, in the Ljubljana Marshes and in Ljubljana. More than 100 bee species were found in all areas, most of them in the area around Lake Cerknica (143).
Project leader, Dr Danilo Bevk: "We have also found a new species of bee for Slovenia in Ljubljana. This shows that with additional research, we would certainly find another undiscovered species in Slovenia. At the same time, we would also find out how many of the 575 species that have been found in Slovenia so far are still alive in Slovenia. Due to changes in the environment, some of them have certainly disappeared."
According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), there were around 213,000 beehives in Slovenia in 2021, or around 1% of all hives in the EU-27. The price of a litre of self-sold honey sold at markets was almost three times higher last year than in 2000.
IGCAT webinar: Working together for Wold Bee Day
Dr Peter Kozmus, beekeeper, researcher, Chairman of the Beekeeping Council at the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food, expert leader of the Breeding Programme for the Carpathian Bee, Vice President of the international beekeeping organisation APIMONDIA and IGCAT expert in Slovenia, European Gastronomic Region 2021, shared important initiatives to raise awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinators. Read more
We invite you to join us in celebrating World Bee Day to draw attention to the crucial role of bees and other pollinators.
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