Let’s Talk About Bees

While the bee has been declared the most important animal in the word, public awareness about bees is seriously lacking. Bees, which are responsible for a third of what we eat, and disappearing. In honour of World Bee Day, on 20th May, Ramat Hanadiv will be holding a summit day, as part of the “Bee Effect” programme in schools, and a special exhibition that tells the story of the bees.

Who would believe that this small buzzing creature has such a significant impact on us and on what we eat? Few know that the bee is the most important animal on the plant; it has been declared so by many professionals around the world.

Four years ago, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to commemorate World Bee Day on 20th May, the birthday of Anton Janša, a pioneer of the bee-keeping industry, which focuses on bee-rearing and honey production.

Bees are endangered, and this is going to affect us

Why are bees so important for us? Because a third of the food we eat depends on their pollination activity: they fly from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, which are essential for the development of plants to the point that bees are responsible for almost all fruits and vegetables we eat.

Nevertheless, bees around the world are disappearing, together with other flying insects, due to human intervention in nature, the climate crisis and other reasons. Sometimes it seems as if the more important bees are to humans, the less humans know about them. Therefore, at Ramat Hanadiv we have already been working for a few years to increase awareness about bees and their importance through active research studies, observations, and ongoing monitoring by our research staff.

Students assist research

On 20th May, World Bee Day, the exhibition “The Bee Effect” will be on display in the Visitors Pavilion at Ramat Hanadiv; it tells the story of bees, accompanied by photographs taken by our research staff and by Nir Navot from “Sustainable Beekeeping”.

“The Bee Effect” is also the name of an educational programme run by Ramat Hanadiv with the participation of primary and middle schools throughout the country. On World Bee Day, Ramat Hanadiv will hold a summit day for the programme with the participation of teachers and student representatives.

a third of the food we eat depends on the bees’ pollination activity. They are responsible for almost all fruits and vegetables we eat.

The programme connects students and their teachers to the importance of bees in ecosystems, and causes them to act and think about how to help bees survive, while changing their opinions about bees and increasing their familiarity with them. The teachers and students make observations in natural areas and in gardens and collect information that assists our research, through a special application developed by the research staff of Ramat Hanadiv.

The summit day gives the students and their teachers the opportunity to talk about the learning process, present their findings, and share their knowledge and study of bees. At the end of the school year the teachers and students are invited to present the products of their projects at their schools, and share their knowledge, the photographs they took, and their results, in order to expand the circles of awareness within the entire public.

So how can we help bees survive?

Here are a few things that each one of us can do:

Plant cultivated and wild bee-attracting plants, such as rosemary, sage or clover. Seedlings can be purchased at the InfoShop at Ramat Hanadiv.
Build an “insect hotel” – a breeding place for bees and other insects.
Do not kill bees! To remove bee swarms please contact “Red Bee Shield.”
Learn more about bees:
- It’s Not Just About the Honey