World Bee Day 2024: Bee engaged with Youth.

By observing World Bee Day each year, we raise awareness of the bees and other pollinators' essential role in keeping people and the planet healthy and the many challenges they face today.

By celebrating World Bee Day each year. we can increase public awareness of the numerous difficulties that bees and other pollinators face today, as well as the critical role they serve in maintaining human and environmental health. 

World Bee Day 2024 focuses on the subject, "Bee Engaged with Youth," in recognition of the critical role that young people can play in tackling issues that affect bees and other pollinators. Bees and other pollinators face many challenges from human activities, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. 

Young persons can help conserve bees and other pollinator populations by:  

• Learning more about bees - Read books and visit web pages to learn more about bees' lifecycle, their role in our ecosystem, food production, and their challenges. Bees are pollinators for fruit, vegetable, and flower plants.  
• Cultivate local plants – Choose local plants that are food sources for bees. Local plants that attract bees are watapana (Caesalpinia coriaria), coconut tree, palo di boonchi, (Erythrina velutina) boonchi strena (Parkinsonia aculeata), seida (Jatropha gossypiifolia), dama di anochi (Cereus hexagonus), and mat’i brazil (Haematoxylon brasiletto). Plant a variety of plants that flower during different seasons.   
• Help with conservation projects - Local organizations and producers like Aruba Bee Haven organize projects to raise awareness in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts. Have a tour of honey producers and beekeepers. You can search for information on the internet; ask your parents or school about beekeeping. 
• Share your knowledge – Share this information with your friends and family if you learn something new about bees; Involvement of schools in apiculture (beekeeping) and apitourism (beekeeping tourism) to increase interest in nature, promote a healthy lifestyle, and increase environmental awareness.

Involvement of young persons in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts has future benefits:

• Opt for organic food choices (Buy bee-friendly products); 
• Beekeeping offers the youth access to income opportunities that require minimum investment;
• Beekeeping stimulates youth entrepreneurship;
• The knowledge transfer of beekeeping from one generation to another narrows the gap between new and experienced beekeepers.  
• Investing in initiatives to guide young persons in beekeeping promotes innovation, creativity, and technological advancements to address the challenges.

The Department of Nature and Environment reminds everyone that chemicals and pesticide use harms bee colonies. Choose organic and sustainable pesticides and fertilizers. Bee conservation contributes to the health of humans, bees, and the environment.

Bee conservation allows beekeepers to increase productivity, make profits, and have a sustainable and resilient business. 

Happy World Bee Day!