Once again the Great National Bee Day is celebrated in Poland. For many years, State Forests have been involved in numerous activities to help pollinators.
For many years, bees have been under the special care of foresters. Under the slogan “Bees are coming back to the forest” the State Forests conduct many activities for the benefit of bees, among others, they hang bee logs, plant shrubs, and honey trees.
It should be recalled that we owe the production of 1/3 of our food to bees. They pollinate as many as 77% of plant species from which plant-based food products are made. If it were not for bees – many fruits and vegetables would not exist at all, and the yields of some would be much lower. It is estimated that the work of bees in Poland is worth over PLN 4 bn a year, and obtaining honey is only part of their activity, as they also pollinate bushes and trees.
It is estimated that on Earth there are about 20 thousand species of wild bees, of which more than 470 species have been recorded in Poland. Unfortunately, nearly half of them are red-listed and threatened with extinction. The European Union has banned the use of neonicotinoids in crops, which are a huge contributor to the extinction of these species. The method of cultivation is also a problematic issue. What is referred to as biodiversity is being lost. A significant threat is a changing climate, including extreme weather events.
The Great National Bee Day, celebrated on August 8, was launched in 2013 to remind people of the role pollinators to play throughout the environment.