Bees are among the most crucial pollinators in the world, significantly contributing to our global food supply, and survival of our plants.
Bees, with their diligent pollination process, assist in the production of over 75% of the world's crops. Notably, they are essential for the cultivation of fruits such as strawberries and apples, as well as nuts like almonds.
However, bees are under severe threat from factors like intensive agriculture, which often involves the use of harmful pesticides, as well as climate change and habitat loss. Alarmingly, the U.S. lost 40.7% of its honeybee colonies in 2018, according to a survey by the Bee Informed Partnership. If this trend continues, the consequences could be dire for global food security. If you wanted to look on a purely economic view, the global economic worth of bees' pollination work is estimated to be nearly $235 billion to $577 billion a year.
Thus, protecting bees is not just an ecological imperative—it is fundamentally a matter of global food security and economic stability. Advocating for sustainable farming practices, reducing pesticide use, and promoting habitat preservation are critical steps to ensure the survival and prosperity of these invaluable insects.
For World Bee Day 2023 (and beyond), the Clean Planet Foundation, via their comic book series HAPSIE, launched the HAPISE HIVE. Set in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, the HAPSIE Hive follows the progress of a single beehive through this Summer, educating those who follow HAPSIE's nature page about beekeeping, and the importance of bees on the world's ecology. You can follow that here on HAPSIE (new window).
In addition the Clean Planet Foundation launched this mini-documentary (just 4 minutes!) about the importance of the world's greatest pollinators. All the footage was shot by The Clean Planet Foundation for World Bee Day.
Happy Bee Day from the Clean Planet Foundation!