Happy World Honey Bee Day 2018!

Just as National Day Calendar informed me that yesterday was National Nonprofit Day, it told me that today, the third Saturday in August, is World Honey Bee Day.  Since bees have been a continuing topic of this blog, this is exactly the kind of holiday I should celebrate.*

Here's the description.

Beekeepers, honey lovers and all blooming things in nature make note that the third Saturday in August in World Honey Bee Day.

Recognizing not only the honey bee but the beekeepers who tend to hives, World Honey Bee Day encourages everyone to enjoy and buy locally grown honey.

HOW TO OBSERVE

• Collect and spread local wildflower seeds to promote honey bee pollination.
• Flavors of honey will vary depending on the variety of flowers and nectar available to the bees.
• Clover, alfalfa, lavender, orange, and chestnut are just a few to choose from.
• Replace your usual sweetener with honey for the day. Taste the difference!
• Give the gift of honey to a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member.
• Don’t forget to share with your honey, too! Use #WorldHoneyBeeDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

World Honey Bee Day began as National Honey Bee Day in 2009 with a proclamation issued by the Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsek. The day grew rapidly bringing awareness to the benefits and environmental needs of honey bees.

Follow over the jump for three videos about the day plus one about what would happen if bees died out.

First, National Honey Bee Day from Springs Preserve.

Did you know that Aug. 19, 2017 is National Honey Bee Day? Learn more about these important pollinators.

There are local events to celebrate today.  WCCO - CBS Minnesota covered one of them two years ago.

The Mill City Farmers Market and Land O’ Lakes will make quite a buzz Saturday, reports Rachel Slavik.

Both of these are from the U.S.  Lion Mountain TV from South Africa put the world in World Honey Bee Day.

Happy World Honey Bee Day! We can all do our bit to support these brilliant bugs, gang! Why not plant flowers rich in nectar, such as lavender and bluebells, which will help bees find the food they need? Also, be sure to choose locally produced honey, which will support our Honey bees and their beekeepers!

That's it for videos I'm sharing about the day, but I have one more from ASAP Science asking What Happens If All The Bees Die?



Will we go extinct if the bees all die?
The answer is no, but we would be living in a much poorer world.  May that not happen.

*There is also a World Bee Day recognized by the United Nations on May 20th.  That happens to be the anniversary of my marriage to my ex-wife, a day that I have used to reflect on my mistakes.  I'd much rather consider the importance of bees.  In an interesting coincidence, I posted President Obama's plan to save the bees on May 20, 2015.  The holiday wasn't declared until 2017, so I accidentally predicted it.  Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than to be good.