World Bee Day
Next: May 20, 2027
A thank-you to the busiest workers.
The story
Where it comes from
World Bee Day falls on the birthday of Anton Janša, born on 20 May 1734 in Breznica, Slovenia, into a family of beekeepers. Trained as a painter in Vienna, he turned to bees full time in 1769, and in 1770 Empress Maria Theresa made him the first imperial teacher of beekeeping, at a new school in the Augarten. He taught that bees must not be killed and that hives should be moved to fresh pasture. Slovenia proposed the day in 2016 with the support of Apimondia, the beekeepers' federation, and the UN General Assembly proclaimed it unanimously in 2017.
How it's celebrated
Since the first World Bee Day in 2018, hundreds of activities have been held around the world each year, and FAO gathers them on an online map. Beekeepers, farmers, schools and governments use the day to talk about pollinators and the threats they face. You do not have to keep bees to help: FAO suggests simple steps such as planting hedgerows, and a few flowers on a balcony are a good start.
Did you know
- Slovenian beekeepers once decorated the fronts of their hives with painted panels; the oldest known one is dated 1758.
- After Janša's death, Maria Theresa ordered that only his tried and tested methods be taught in public beekeeping schools.
- Malaysia has dozens of species of stingless bee, and their sweet-sour kelulut honey has its own Malaysian Standard.
Coming up next
- International Tea Day · May 21, 2027
- World Day for Cultural Diversity · May 21, 2027
- International Day for Biological Diversity · May 22, 2027
- World Turtle Day · May 23, 2027
- International Day of the Markhor · May 24, 2027
- World Football Day · May 25, 2027