Skopje, 20 May 2024 (MIA) — To honor World Bee Day, May 20, an event was held to raise awareness of bees' key role in the survival of people and the planet.

Organized with the support of the Slovenian Embassy, the ADRA Macedonia association of beekeepers, the Municipality of Gazi Baba and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food, the event highlighted need to protect bees and other pollinators.

Participants called for reducing the use of agricultural pesticides, growing as many honey plants as possible and effectively dealing with climate change.

They said the loss of biodiversity and pollution were threatening bees, whose numbers were steadily decreasing. In the country, beekepers said, the average annual production had dropped to 10 kilograms of honey per bee colony.

Slovenian Ambasador Gregor Presker spoke about the importance of bees for the ecosystem. "Bees pollinate nearly three-quarters of all plants, and every third tablespoon of food in the world depends on pollinators," he said, highlighting the need to protect their survival.

He also noted that Slovenia, in 2011, was one of the first EU states to have banned the use of pesticides harmful to bees.

According to Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food dean Mile Markoski, the biggest threat to bees is the use of banned pesticides in gardening, fruit growing and farming.

Marina Mitrevska, a beekeper who has been breeding honey bees for 26 years and has over 150 hives, said beekepers should use organic pesticides instead of harmful ones.

The World Bee Day event was attended by Caretaker Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Kaja Shukova, UN resident coordinator Rossana Dudziak, Gazi Baba Municipality Mayor Boban Stefkovski as well as representatives of several beekeeping and environmental protection organizations.

As part of the event, attendees planted honey plants in the Bee Park in front of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food.

May 20, which was declared World Bee Day by the UN at the initiative of Slovenian beekeepers, is the birthdate of Anton Janša (1734-1773), Slovenian beekeeper and founder of modern beekeeping. mr/