May 20th is a day of celebration here at the National Honey Board – it’s World Bee Day! World Bee Day coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, who was born in 1734. During his time, he pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in Slovenia, creating the first beekeeping school under the appointment of the Hapsburg Empire’s empress Maria Theresa, and praised the bees for their ability to work hard while being self-sufficient creatures.
The United Nations celebrated World Bee Day for the first time in 2018 after famous modern-day beekeeper, Peter Kozmus, petitioned the United Nations to declare May 20th a global day for bees. Fast forward to today, World Bee Day is now an opportunity for us all to focus on the importance of celebrating honey bees and other pollinators.
Fun Fact: Did you know that more than 75% of the world’s food crops rely on pollinators like bees, butterflies, birds, bats, beetles, and moths?
Without bees, we wouldn’t have the nutritious foods we enjoy and rely on. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, bees play an essential role in keeping both the planet and its people nourished.
For us, World Bee Day is every day. But today, we recognize and celebrate the hard work of our beekeepers and bees across the globe and the important impact they have on the world’s ecosystem. It is with this in mind that we are excited to announce that we have taken our Celebrating Beekeeping campaign global!
Launched in 2019, our Celebrating Beekeeping initiative shares the honey industry story and illustrates the critical importance of honey bees through compelling videos featuring beekeepers from around the globe, highlighting the impact the honey industry can have on communities around the world. We started with stories here at home, and in 2023 expanded to tell the wider story of beekeeping around the world.
In honor of World Bee Day, we're sharing just a handful of the many stories of beekeeping around the world.
United States
The importance of honey bee pollination for our food system cannot be understated. Roughly 1/3 of our diet depends on honey bees for pollination. For many growers, each piece of food harvested represents a visit from a honey bee. Farmer Jennifer Euwer and beekeeper George Hansen from the Foothills Honey Company talk about the importance of their partnership for pollination of U.S. agricultural crops.
Vietnam
Travel with us to the Đắk Lắk province of Vietnam, where beekeeping practices have been passed down from generation to generation. This tradition allows a single beekeeper to support their entire family and have a positive impact on their greater communities.
Argentina
Come with us to explore Argentina, a country surrounded by natural prairies and staggering mountains. Beekeepers here produce delicious honey in harmony with their agriculture and in connection with their stunning environments.
Brazil
In a remote corner of Brazil, tiny little bees and the delicious honey they create are helping an entire region threatened by environmental and economic decline. Because of the region’s native diverse flora, it happens to be a great place for beekeeping and pristine honey, which is why one organization, Casa Apis, has undertaken a massive reforestation project providing beekeepers with tens of thousands of drought-resistant trees to plant back into the areas previously spoiled. It’s through this unlikely marriage of commerce and preservation that the good people of Paiuí, Brazil, now live fuller lives as they work to restore their beautiful lands.
We look forward to continuing this series and telling the unique stories of our industry. You can see all our Celebrating Beekeeping videos here, and be sure to stay tuned for more.
We want to hear from you! How are YOU celebrating this World Bee Day? Let us know in the comments.