Need to know: Top 10 facts about World Bee Day

1. World Bee Day, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, is held on May 20 each year to mark the birth of Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern apiculture, or beekeeping.
2. There are a variety of pollinator species in the world, which include bees, butterflies, birds and bats.
3. The most popular pollinator is the bee, which has between 25,000 and 30,000 species.
4. Nearly 90 per cent of all wild flowering plants depend on animal pollination.
5. Caring for bees and other pollinators is part of the fight against world hunger.
6. Ensuring biodiversity among pollinators is crucial to build resilience in agroecosystems and adapt to climate change.
7. Over 80 per cent of human food is supplied by plants. The loss of pollinators would, therefore, lead to an exponential loss of biodiversity, endangering our ecosystems and our diet.
8. Nearly three quarters of the world’s crops depend, at least in part, on bees and other pollinators.
9. In economic terms, natural pollinators contribute up to US$577 billion to the global economy.
10. The goal of World Bee Day is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.

Sources: United Nations & the Food and Agriculture Organization