Every year on May 20th, the world pauses to honor an often-overlooked hero of our ecosystem—the bee. Since the United Nations declared this date as World Bee Day in 2017, following a Slovenian initiative, attention has steadily grown around the critical role bees play in ensuring our food security and biodiversity. The day commemorates Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern beekeeping, born in Slovenia, a country renowned for its beekeeping heritage.
Across Europe, the past decade has seen major progress in protecting bee health, particularly honeybees. Scientific advancements, increased monitoring, and collaborative research have helped us better understand threats like pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and disease. EU-wide bans on harmful neonicotinoids and increased funding for pollinator-friendly agriculture have yielded encouraging results. Hive losses are stabilizing in many regions, and awareness is higher than ever.
The BeeLieve project, funded under the Erasmus+ initiative, is helping turn this awareness into action. By building a cross-regional vocational excellence network in apiculture, BeeLieve empowers beekeepers and future professionals with modern skills. From digital hive monitoring to certification systems and transnational summer schools, the project promotes sustainable, innovative practices to ensure healthy pollinators and thriving rural economies.
Citizens, too, play a vital role in protecting bees. You can:
– Plant wildflowers and native plants rich in nectar.
– Avoid using pesticides in gardens.
– Support local beekeepers and buy their products.
– Spread awareness about pollinators in your community.
In Slovenia, World Bee Day is especially meaningful. In the past year, events included educational workshops, school visits to apiaries, honey tastings, and even international conferences hosted by Slovenian ministries and beekeeping associations. Our small country continues to set a big example.
On this World Bee Day, let’s celebrate not just the bee, but our shared responsibility. Thanks to dedicated researchers, farmers, teachers, beekeepers—and the BeeLieve project—the future of pollinators in Europe is brighter. Let’s believe in bees, and believe in what we can achieve together.
Website: https://cove-beelieve.eu
General Information
Project Title:
European Centres of Vocational Excellence in Apiculture
BeeLieve
ERASMUS-EDU-2023-PEX-COVE
(Partnership for Excellence – Centres of Vocational Excellence)
Project Duration: 48 months, from 1 March 2024 to 29 February 2028
Funding: Funded by the European Union.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
