The United Nations established May 20th as World Bee Day âto raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development.â In honor of World Bee Day, prepare to be buzzing with excitement as we share some fascinating bee facts:
Diverse Bee World: Our planet is home to over 20,000 different species of bees. However, out of this vast array, only seven species have the remarkable ability to produce honeyâa true testament to their remarkable capabilities.
đWallace's Giant Bee: Living in Indonesia, the Wallace's giant bee (Megachile pluto), a colossal creature as big as an adult's thumb, once considered extinct, was rediscovered in 2019!
đFour-Winged Marvels: Did you know that bees have four wings? Yes, that's right! They gracefully flutter through the air with two wings on each side of their body, intricately connected by comb-like teeth called hamuli.
đ The Five Eyes of Bees: Bees are blessed with five eyes! With two large compound eyes on the sides of their head and three simple eyes or ocelli on top, they can detect light and sense potential threats approaching from above.
đ Bee Beauty Sleep: Like us, bees need their beauty sleep too! In 1983, Walter Kaiser made an intriguing discoveryâwhen bees sleep, their antenna, upper body, and abdomen droop down while their wings gently rest against their bodies.
đ Ladies with Stingers: Only female bees wield stingers. These remarkable females have a powerful defense mechanism to protect themselves and their colonies.
đ The Buzz of Communication: If a Queen honey bee is removed from the hive, astonishingly, within 15 minutes, the entire colony becomes aware of her absence. The bees communicate and coordinate their activities with incredible efficiency.
Urgent Buzz!
Bees, our invaluable pollinators, are in grave danger. The alarming truth? Species extinction rates are currently skyrocketing at a staggering 100 to 1,000 times higher than the natural norm, all due to human impacts. Brace yourselfâclose to 35 percent of our mesmerizing invertebrate pollinators, including the magnificent bees and butterflies, teeter on the edge of extinction. Even our remarkable vertebrate pollinators, like the beloved bats, face a daunting 17 percent risk of disappearing from our world. The fate of these incredible creatures hangs in the balance, and our own survival is intimately intertwined with theirs.
Now, it's time to take action and delve deeper into this critical issue.
Explore the UN website to unlock the knowledge and understanding that will fuel our fight for the bees. Why has Bee Day been designated? It's a global call to arms, an opportunity to raise awareness about the vital role of pollinators, the daunting threats they confront, and their pivotal contribution to sustainable development. On May 20th, the United Nations designated World Bee Day as a beacon of hope, uniting us in a shared mission to protect these extraordinary creatures.
Asia Wild is committed to preserving and protecting Asian animals worldwide. When you contribute to Asia Wild, you not only support organizations dedicated to preventing poaching, abuse, captivity, illegal wildlife trade, and trafficking, but you also help us promote global conservation and sustainability efforts worldwide. Bees are a vital part of this giant echo system we call Earth đ!
Together, let us sound the alarm and amplify our efforts to secure the survival of bees and safeguard the future of our planet. Join the movement, ignite conversations, and spread the buzz far and wide. The time is now to protect and cherish our pollinators, for a world without bees is a world we cannot afford.
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