World Bee Day 2023: Theme, History, Significance, Facts

Every year May 20 is observed as World Bee Day around the world which marks the birth anniversary of Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, who was born in 1734. After a continuous effort of three years, the United Nations Member States accepted proposal of Slovenia to observe 20 May as World Bee Day in December 2017.

By observing World Bee Day every year, awareness can be raised and emphasis can be put on the role of bees and other pollinators in keeping the planet and the people healthy by ensuring food security, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

World Bee Day 2023 Date

Have a look at the upcoming World Bee Day for the next 5 years.

Event	Date	Day
World Bee Day 2023	May 20, 2023	Saturday
World Bee Day 2024	May 20, 2024	Monday
World Bee Day 2025	May 20, 2025	Tuesday
World Bee Day 2026	May 20, 2026	Wednesday
World Bee Day 2027	May 20, 2027	Thursday

World Bee Day 2023 Overview

Event	World Bee Day 2023
Date	May 20, 2023
Day	Saturday
Declared by	United Nations
Significance	Marks the birth of Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern apiculture

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History of World Bee Day Celebration

The Government of Slovenia put forth in December 2017 the provision to observe every year May 20 as World Bee Day. Bees are an important part of our environment and help support agriculture and rural job. To mark their importance, the birth date of Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern agriculture, was chosen to be celebrated as World Bee Day. With the combined effort of Slovenian Government and backed by NGO Apimondia, May 20 was finally chosen to be celebrated as World Bee Day by the UN General Assembly.

World Bee Day Significance

Beekeeping is an important occupation which provides millions of people their livelihood. Not only this, bees also play significant role in promoting sustainability, improving agriculture, regenerating forests, ensuring survival of many plants, their reproduction and much more. In fact many other pollinators are also equally responsible for maintaining the ecosystem and therefore should be preserved at any cost.

But unfortunately, bees and other pollinators are exponentially declining and there is an urgent need to promote activities that will protect them. Hence, World Bee Day is observed to promote beekeeping and protect bees.

Did you know?

Some unknown facts about bees to leave you in awe are provided below. Bet you didn’t know them all.

1. Bees communicate with each other by dancing.
2. Honey bees can fly up to six miles at a speed of fifteen miles an hour.
3. In its total lifetime, an average bee is only able to collect one teaspoon (approximately 5 grams) of honey.
4. To make one kilogram of honey, a bee has to fly around 90000 miles which is three times around the globe and gather nectar from about two million flowers.
5. After stinging a human or animal, bees die. Only female bees sting.
6. Bees beat their wings 11400 times in a minute which make them sound so noisy.
7. More than 20000 different species of bees are found all over the world, except for the continent of Antarctica.
8. Bee is the only social insect that is partially domesticated by humans.
9. During a collection trip, a honey bee needs to visit around 50 to 100 flowers.
10. Bees have jointed legs, but they do not have knees.

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World Bee Day Celebration

There are many different ways to observe World Bee day and raise awareness about these important creatures on this day. You can visit beekeepers and learn more about their work. You can set up bee farm in your own garden or terrace to support the cause. Many people enjoy eating bee-based products such as honey or honey products to celebrate the day. You can also support your local beekeeper by buying honey or other hive based products from their shop. Some people like dressing like bees, participating in bee jokes competition and spreading awareness about this significant day. You can also celebrate the day by supporting a beekeeping environmental charity.

World Bee Day Theme 2023

A theme is generally decided for the celebration of World Bee Day. In the year 2023, the theme is “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production” as decided by FAO. Awareness is raised on the importance of bees and beekeeping and how they contribute toward livelihood and environmental protection, how are their species threatened and what needs to be done to protect them.

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