Bee Aware Month is an annual education campaign run every September in New Zealand. It is organised by Apiculture New Zealand and supported by bee lovers everywhere. Bee Aware Month is all about celebrating nature’s tiniest super heroes and sharing some simple actions that everyone can take to help our bees. In 2020 we are asking New Zealanders to Bee a Hero by growing bee-friendly plants, supporting beekeepers and spraying safely.
Why are bees so important?
Bees are vital to a healthy environment and healthy economy. They're also simply beautiful and fascinating little insects.
Bees are perfectly adapted to pollinate, helping plants grow, breed and produce food. They do so by transferring pollen between flowering plants and so keep the cycle of life turning. The vast majority of plants we need for food rely on pollination, especially by bees: from almonds and vanilla and apples to squashes.
But bees are in trouble. There is growing public and political concern at bee decline across the world. This decline is caused by a combination of stresses - from loss of their habitat and food sources to exposure to pesticides and the effects of climate change.
More than ever before, we need to recognise the importance of bees to nature and to our lives. And we need to turn that into action to ensure they don't just survive but thrive.
Learn more about Bee Aware Month.