There is no planet B(ee)

This man is considered to be the world's first teacher to teach apiculture or beekeeping. But, it was not his actual profession, to begin with. He was more renowned as a painter during those times. So, what made him become a beekeeper? On World Bee Day, knowing about this Slovenian legendary personality and his journey towards beekeeping will be a great way to start our journey to understand BEES.

The beautiful yellow and black stripes are what makes one identify a bee. Image Source: Latest LY.

Anton Janša, born in 18th century Austria, grew up to be a famous painter. But, soon he realised that he needed to do something for a better living and that paintings would not help him survive, so he decided to try his hands at agriculture. But then, he thought he should do something that he likes doing. And it was beekeeping!

In 1769, Maria Teresa, the ruling queen of the Hapsburg Empire (yes, she was that same queen from "Seven Years War" of your history syllabus) established a beekeeping school and wanted to improve her knowledge in this field. Therefore, she appointed Janša as the first teacher of apiculture by releasing an imperial decree in Vienna. 

His books "A Discussion on the Swarming of Bees" and "A Complete Guide to Beekeeping" were later used in the apiculture schools of Austria. It is interesting to note that these books are still followed as textbooks for teaching beekeeping. 

The theme adopted for 2022 is “Bee engaged: Build Back Better for Bees.” The United Nations wants to use this theme to focus on the problems caused by lockdown and Covid-19 in the protection of these hardworking winged little creatures. It will focus on spreading awareness of beekeeping and the importance of using products derived from bees. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN will organise various programmes to celebrate the day and spread awareness about it. 

Einstein has correctly mentioned, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years left to live.” So let us pledge to be more considerate towards these little creatures around us and help in making the planet sustainable not only for humans but for every living being.

Bees are as important as any other entity in the ecosystem. Even today, not many people understand the importance of bees. This is why the United Nations unanimously declared the birthday of Anton Janša, i.e. 20th May as World Bee Day. The purpose behind it is to spread awareness of the importance of bees and beekeeping. 

There are over 20,000 species of bees in the world and they perform a major task that helps in nurturing the environment: pollination. There are certain kinds of plants in the world which exist only because of the hardworking activities of certain species of bees. So, if these bees cease to exist, these plants will disappear as well. 

Did you know? A single bee flies around 90,000 miles to collect nectar from as many as two million flowers to produce one pound of honey. 90,000 miles is like travelling the earth three times.

The month of May appears to be unique for people all over the planet. In the northern hemisphere, this is the time when pollination takes place and therefore, new plant lives are born. On the other hand, in the southern hemisphere, it is the time for beekeeping. And luckily Janša’s birthday falls in May, and so the 20th of May becomes World Bee Day, making it a much better opportunity to learn about these little drones.

Bees live in colonies and communicate with each other by dancing. Image Source: Bee Keeper Facts.

In 2021, famous actress Angelina Jolie teamed up with National Geographic Channel to spread awareness on bee conservation. Image Source: National Geographic Partners.