Earth Today | Bee-aware
World Bee Day is here!
Published:Thursday | May 20, 2021 | 12:08 AM
GIVEN JAMAICA’S many offerings to the world – from endemic plant and animal species to awe-inspiring sportswomen and men, celebrated academics and accomplished statesmen – the island has the reputation of being ‘likkle but tallawah’. The same can be said of bees.
It is no wonder, therefore, that today, Jamaica, like other countries globally, is celebrating World Bee Day and under the theme ‘Bee Engaged: Build Back Better for Bees’.
“It is an opportunity we all have to examine and put into focus the awareness of the beekeeping industry in Jamaica and the value, also, that bee-derived products bring,” notes the Natural History Museum of Jamaica (NHMJ), a division of the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), in a release shared with The Gleaner.
Against this background, the entity is collaborating with the National Environment and Planning Agency to host ‘NHMJ Live!’ on the subject ‘A Buzz with Nature’, featuring senior research officer and entomologist at the NHMJ, Dionne Newell, and Hugh Smith of the Bodles Agricultural Research Station.
Also on offer is insight into ongoing research and the contributions of various organisations, farmers and beekeepers, as well as what each individual can do to preserve Jamaica’s bee population. The events will be hosted via the entities’ YouTube channels.
There is real incentive to join the celebrations. According to information out of the United Nations, “bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities”.
This while pollination remains a “fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems”. Indeed, close to 90 per cent of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75 per cent of the world’s food crops and 35 per cent of global agricultural land.
“Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity,” the UN notes.
As such, as countries observe the fourth annual World Bee Day, and amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UN has encouraged support for the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s own virtual event being held in line with this year’s theme.
“The event,” it said, “will call for global cooperation and solidarity to counter the threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to food security and agricultural livelihoods, alongside prioritising environmental regeneration and pollinator protection. It will be an occasion to raise awareness of how everyone can make a difference to support, restore and enhance the role of pollinators.”
Museum programme officer at the NHMJ and programme coordinator for NHMJ Live, Teona Thomas, has urged support for Jamaica’s own local live and other online activities for the day.
“The aim of this programme is to allow participants to gain a greater and clearer understanding of why the island has a rich biodiversity, how ecosystems contribute to this fact, as well as how improper human practices affect biodiversity and the bee population in Jamaica,” she said.
“It is the hope that as persons join this celebration, they will appreciate the fun, educational and interactive scientific activities to pique their interest, whilst developing an appreciation for the sciences overall,” Thomas added.
l Honeybees are social insects from the order Hymenoptera.
l They are renowned for their role in providing
high-quality food, notably honey, royal jelly and pollen; and other products used in healthcare and other sectors, such as beeswax, propolis, honeybee venom.
l Humans depend on bee pollination for food to be diverse, balanced and of good quality.
l Bees are endangered because of various pests, diseases and viruses that affect them, in addition to the irresponsible use of pesticides, improper agricultural practices, and urbanisation.
l In Jamaica, bees’ natural enemies include varroa mites, small hive beetles, wax moths, termites, as well as red and black ants.