The United Nations has declared that May 20th is World Bee Day. There are over 270 different types of bee species in the UK alone, and around 20,000 worldwide!
The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the importance of bees and focus our attention on the threats that they are facing. Bees are becoming increasingly endangered due to human activities, such as changes in land-use, loss of habitat, climate change, and the use of pesticides.
Different types of bees live in different habitats, for example Solitary bees are commonly found in our back gardens during the Spring and Summer months, species include mining and leaf cutter bees. Whereas Honeybees are typically kept in hives, living in colonies of up to 50,000 bees in prime months such as July, and producing honey and wax. Bumblebees may be the most well known by us, they are large, round and have a pronounced buzz. They live in nests under buildings or in holes beneath the ground; Bumblebees also rarely sting unless they or their nest is disturbed.
Why are Bees so important?
What can we do to help Bees?