Not stingy, this pollinator

On the annual calendar of anniversaries, the UN General Assembly declaring a special day for underscoring the health of the ecosystem of the planet is easy to miss. Though closely tied to human world and crucial for sustenance, World Bee Day (WBD) is dull and mundane. How exciting and gainful can a pesky bee be? Plenty, say environmentalists, as they facilitate cross-pollination, thereby improving the quality and diversity of food.

Bees and other pollinators are the broadest base of the pyramid of agro-food. Observed on May 20 every year, World Bee Day seeks to remove the sting by drawing attention to the unique role of bees in the agri-food system.

Pollinators, including bees, are required for the production of at least three-quarters of food crops across the world, including fruits, vegetables and seeds.

The birthday of Anton Jansa (May 20, 1734), a pioneer of modern apiculture (beekeeping), who came from a family of beekeepers in Slovenia — where honey production is an essential allied agricultural activity with a long-standing tradition — was chosen as the day to celebrate bees.

The world has been celebrating the day since 2018, when the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations led the UN General Assembly to declare May 20 as World Bee Day.

Considering natural pollination as a fundamental phenomenon behind seed production, the theme for WBD 2025 is ‘Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all’. The theme highlights the crucial role of bees and other pollinators in the food chain, starting with synthesis of food by plants under agri-food systems, conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem restoration.

Awareness around the day is critical at the global level in view of the drastically changed agricultural practices over the past decades, owing to the rampant use of fertilisers and pesticides, besides the detrimental methods of farming, like stubble burning, that are threatening the survival of bees and other pollinators.

The common man, remotely related with agricultural or allied practices, should be able to comprehend that from bees to butterflies, birds to bats, the pollinators are the sustenance channel of the agri-food system, as they facilitate the reproduction of crops and wild plants.

The day comes as a reminder that bees are indicators of environment health, climate and ecosystem.

Features