#young beekeepers

[20may]

Highlight the importance of involving young people in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts.

This year's theme is "Bee engaged with Youth" to highlight the importance of involving young people in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts, recognizing them as the future stewards of our environment.

Home | World Bee Day 2024| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Home | World Bee Day 2024 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

[20may]

join the buzz!

Interpreting the Buzz of Honeybees. Yes, bees buzz. But careful attention reveals there is a difference in their sounds.  “Bee engaged with Youth”. World Bee Day 2024.

[20may]

Opt for organic sustainable food choices.

“Bee engaged with Youth”. World Bee Day 2024.

Organic Ingredients are defined materials originating from crops derived  from organic agriculture. The USDA defines Organic Agriculture as :" Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony." It is a farming system based following the cyclical patterns of nature to produce crops from balanced living soils. It puts a strong emphasis on the protection on the environment, and by practice, bans the use of Pesticides, harmful chemicals and genetically modified crops. It relies heavily on biodiversity  promoting a diverse range of plants, insects and animals, with each piece, playing a specific beneficial role to the ecosystem. This is especially true for the bees, as they play a crucial role in pollination, which enables fertilization and reproduction of plants. Without the input of bees, the food and agricultural output is decreased by 33%, making only 2/3 of  the food production possible. As ecology defines, sustainability  as how biological systems remain diverse and productive, It can be presumed that in fact bees are actually essential to global food sustainability. Their loss is considered a threat to global food supplies and sustainability.

The current disappearance of bees, a peculiar phenomenon labeled called Colony Collapse Disorder has perplexed scientists and Beekeepers now for the past decade. However, a new study from Harvard University, published in the June edition of the Bulletin of Insectology has recently found that, neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides and pesticides allowed in agriculture, are killing bees at an exponential rate. The study finds the neonicotinoids to be the direct cause of the colony collapse disorder and the disappearance of the bees.

The study also found that the control bees, which were not exposed to the pesticides were not affected adversely and did not vanish from hives at the end of the study. It is then concluded that the focus on natural ecosystems and native species, as well as the lack of pesticides used in organic farming, is therefore beneficial to bees. By supporting biodiversity and balanced ecosystems for the bees, organic agriculture may just be helping conserve the livelihood of bees and allow for their continuous participation in our food systems. This highlights the growing importance of producing and consuming crops issued from organic agriculture to maintain bees ecosystems and food sustainability for humans. As chemists and brands , a quintessential part of the food and consumer product lifecycle, select raw materials to include in product development efforts, it will become increasingly important to consider organic options as a pillar for overall and global sustainability efforts. It seems that we are all related in our global ecosystem and various choices made have an ecological impact on the planet and our collective livelihood. Perhaps now is the time to consider adding additional criteria to the selection of product raw materials beyond pricing and quality.