The 8th of August is the Great Bee Day in Poland!
Celebrated since 2013, it reminds us of the great significance of these insects in the ecosystem. Therefore, let's pause for a moment and listen to their quiet buzzing. It is not solely a symbol of summer, but a crucial component in the functioning of all nature and our lives.
"Pollination is the result of 130 million years of convergent evolution between bees and plants. There are more than 20,000 bee species worldwide, and nearly 500 in Poland alone! We do not give them the attention they deserve, as they are mainly small species, no more than a few millimetres in length. Busy collecting pollen or building nests, they work quickly and effectively. 90% of flowering plants and 75% of human food crops depend on them! We all need pollinators, and no food could eliminate their contribution," says Jacek Wendzonka, PhD, from the AMU Faculty of Biology.
"We live in times of dramatic and adverse environmental change. For this reason, we should save space for wild plants, spread true flower meadows (also those with weeds), build insect houses, and create friendly gardens, also for those bees which live solitary and nest in the ground. Helping bees is no longer just a fashionable slogan, but a necessity," the scientist emphasises.
photo by Adrian Wykrota