World Bee Day: being a pollinator is awesome

 

 

“Do you know why we should be thankful to bees, to our pollinators? The first reason is because they produce honey, which improves the quality of our nutrition, including food taste values. Moreover, we can admire these creatures’ unique hard work. Last but not least, bees play a crucial role in food security and conserving biodiversity on our planet.” 

With these words, Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation,opened, on May 20, the international online conference entitled “World Bee Day 2022”. 

Bees’ contribution to our ecosystems is exceptional. Today, around the world there are over 20 000 bee species. “The reduction of pollinator populations may have devastating consequences for food security. Bees’ extinction threatens three quarters of agricultural crops around the world that depend, at least in part, on pollination, including apples, avocado, pears and pumpkins,” Oleg Kobiakov noted. Bees do not just mean pollination, but also apitherapy, apitourism and ecological monitoring. 

“In order to conserve honeybees and develop beekeeping in Russia, we provide a special protection on half a million hectares of forest,” Alexander Panfilov, Deputy Head of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz), said, addressing the conference participants. He reminded that in Russia, beekeeping has been a developing sector for forest management for a long period of time. Most of the designated honey areas are located in the Volga Region and the Far East. In order to protect natural and environmental proprieties in these forest areas, agricultural activities are restricted. 

“Overall, bee colony productivity and beekeeping development have a strict relation with forest flora diversity, which represents a crucial factor during forest restoration.  At the end of 2021, forest restoration activities were conducted all over the country on an area wider than 1.2 million hectares. One of the crucial indicators of the federal project “Forest conservation” – the ratio of forest restoration and afforestation area to felled and dead forest stands – exceeded 110percent, which suggests that the regeneration of forests exceeds their loss,” Alexander Panfilov noted.  

Farit Valitov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Bashkortostan, welcomed the participants of the international online conference on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Bashkortostan Ilshat Fazrakhmanov, as well as on behalf of the whole beekeeping society of our Republic.  

In the Republic, “we are implementing the «Agrostartup» project, which envisages the provision on a competitive basis of grant funds of up to three million roubles to peasant farmers, including those engaged in beekeeping,” said Farit Valitov.   

“The programme ‘Family farm’ is operating, up to 30 million roubles are being allocated, but not more than 60 percent of the project cost. Subsidies are being allocated for purchasing beekeeping machinery and equipment, Russian and foreign production, up to 50 percent of the cost,” the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic said. “Subsidies are also being allocated for beekeeping cooperatives according to the programme ‘Income generating projects and development of the material and technical base of cooperatives’.” 

In the Republic of Bashkortostan, a systematic work is underway to develop beekeeping, Farit Valitov said. There are four academic and educational centres for beekeeping: the All-Russian Centre for the Development of the Beekeeping Competence and Innovative Technologies is being established at the Bashkir State Agrarian University, the “Altyn Solok” International Centre for the Protection and Promotion of Beekeeping Production, the Bashkir Scientific and Research Centre for Beekeeping and Apitherapy and the Laboratory of Biochemistry of Insect Adaptability, Ural Federal Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences. 

From 8 to 9 September, in Ufa, the “ApiMir” international forum is being held where Russian beekeepers and their foreign colleagues are participating, Farit Valitov said. “We are sure that the international forum will bring together sector and science representatives and will promote the exchange of experience, the introduction of advanced technologies into production and the opening of new sales markets. The main slogan of the event is “Bees’ well-being means humanity’s well-being.”  

“Bees are famous thanks to their role in producing high-quality food (honey, royal jelly and pollen) and other products used in healthcare and other sectors (beeswax, propolis, bee venom). But bees’ work means much more!”, said Vladimir Moshkalo, Head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Office in the Russian Federation. 

“Bees and other pollinators’ greatest contribution consists in pollinating almost three quarters of plants that produce 90 percent of food in the world,” the speaker reminded. “Now, world food production depends on bees, that is, one spoon of food out of three depends on the pollination process.” 

“Moreover, pollinators are “a source of numerous benefits for people engaged not only in food provision,” Vladimir Moshkalo noted, “but also directly in the production of medicines, biofuels (for example: rapeseed and palm oil), fibres (for example, cotton and linen), construction materials (timber), music instruments, objects of arts and crafts, recreational activities, and serve as a source of inspiration in arts, music, literature, religion, traditions, technology and education.” 

We should also draw our attention to this factor: “pollinators are an important spiritual symbol in many cultures. Sacred passages about bees in all the main religions around the world have highlighted their importance for human communities for thousands of years.”Moreover, Vladimir Moshkalo noted, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 16.5 percent of pollinators are endangered by global extinction (for insular species this figure rises to 30 percent). 

Sergey Tastan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Union of Beekeepers and Processors of Bee Products, acted online from the FAO office in Dushanbe as a co-moderator at the conference’s thematic block “Development trends of beekeeping in Russia in the twenty-first century”. In his opening remarks, the expert elaborated on such an important aspect as the digitalization of the industry and told about the programme designed to inform beekeepers about the treatment of fields with pesticides by farmers. He also shared recent achievements in the industry and in the development of industrial beekeeping, gave examples of what has already been done. 

Sergey Tastan also reported that a breeding roadmap is currently being developed – this process takes into account genetics, breeding centers, as well as the characteristics of specific bee breeds. Standing up for prompt response to emergencies affecting the health of bees and other pollinators, he suggested introducing the term “biological fire” to enable regions, for instance, forest divisions, to make accelerated decisions when responding to natural and human-induced disasters. Besides, he urged, referring to the positive experience of his colleagues from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, “to put into practice non-gratuitous lease for placing (beehives) within the lands of the Russian Forest Fund as well.” At the same time, bees, in addition to producing honey, “pollinate and contribute to the maintenance of biological diversity.”  

“Beekeeping plays an important role in providing agriculture primarily with pollinators,” said Oleg Guchgeldiyev, FAO Representative in Tajikistan, in his welcoming speech. He congratulated the conference participants on their professional day and said that many projects related to beekeeping are being implemented in the country. For example, a chemical management project, efforts for the improvement of nutrition, including for pupils, work aimed at improving agricultural production models for women, and others. He expressed hope for expanding cooperation with FAO and that new promising projects in the portfolio related to beekeeping will be developed. 

“The cornerstone of beekeeping science, education and practice is the employment of bees for pollinating entomophily crops and improving productivity”, Alfir Mannapov, Head of the Department of Aquaculture and Apiculture at the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural University (RSAU-MTAA), said during the thematic cluster “Development trends in beekeeping in Russia in the twenty-first century”. In the department he coordinates, they have developed fundamental approaches to the management of bee colonies’ vital functions.  

“Firstly, the most important one of them is the approach to managing the life of bees in physiological processes: swarming, hive treatment, introduction of queens, swarm catchment, as well as stimulation of bee colonies development with the use of pheromone compositions,” Dr Mannapov told to the audience. 

“Secondly, we have managed to uncover the secrets of air exchange in a bee colony, which should be attached to the natural standard… The safety of colonies, especially in winter, saving food resources, physiological youth must be maintained during bees’ hibernation period, which is the most critical time of their life.” 

Thirdly, “in protected ground, bees have to be defended against chemical pesticides…” emphasized the expert. “For the period of action of chemicals, in case if direct processing of entomophilous crops has been carried out, bees must be isolated. We suggested implementing an original way to protect bees by using appropriate air exchange.” Scientists from Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy have developed a method of conserving bees directly in a hive for a week or even 10 days.  

In Belarus, “the culture of beekeeping, common in Polesia, is included by UNESCO in the List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity,” said Elena Guzenko, Deputy Director of the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. During the period from 1991 up to 2018, the number of bee colonies has been decreasing: it has dropped from 620 thousand to 207 thousand. After the adoption of important decisions at the state level, the trend has been reversed, and last year, the number of bee colonies increased to 223 thousand. At the same time, this is not enough, because, as the expert emphasized, “according to pollination standards, the country needs to have more than a million bee colonies.” 

The expert said that one of the most important tasks in the development of this industry cluster is “creating high-quality breeding material, raising bees of certain breeds, preserving the gene pool of bee species, which is impossible without genetic identification and constant genetic monitoring.” 

In Belarus, “bees are being analyzed by DNA markers, pure and hybrid bee colonies, as well as their breed affiliation, are being identified”. The accuracy of the applied method is 99.99 percent. “The results of the research will lay the foundation for a genetic inventory of bee colonies,” concluded Elena Guzenko. 

Olga Lapina, the Coordinator of the international activities of the Expert-Analytical and International Activities Department of the Russian Geographical Society, shared with the audience information about the work of the Society, as well as ideas for future potential projects. “In order to attract young scientists and volunteers from Russia to work at FAO, the Russian Geographical Society suggests organizing an All-Russian competition for the selection of successful volunteers and talented researchers who are interested in gaining practical experience and real opportunities to approve themselves at the international and Russian levels in conservation of environment, biodiversity and achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)”. 

“Through cooperation with FAO, aimed at, inter alia, involving Russia in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme, the Society intends to continue active cooperation,” Olga Lapina emphasized. She also described to the audience the role and importance of the GIAHS programme for rural communities, the environment, biodiversity and food security in general. 

“We believe that Russia, in various regions of which unique agricultural systems, that are seamlessly fit into the environment, including wild-honey farming, have been preserved, should be presented in this programme,” Olga Lapina highlighted. 

“The Society has an impressive scientific resource, including professionals specializing in different fields. We have the opportunities to involve the expert community of the Russian Geographical Society in the work on assessing the condition of objects suitable for consideration under the GIAHS programme,” Olga Lapina concluded. 

Elina Gataullina, the Executive Director of the Committee of the Republic of Bashkortostan for UNESCO, who acted as a co-moderator of the thematic block “Beekeeping in the Republic of Bashkortostan”, in her welcoming speech congratulated the audience on the Day and presented the Biosphere Reserve “Bashkir Ural”, one of the main functions of which is preservation of the Bashkir Burzyan bee. 

She introduced the activities of the biosphere reserve to the conference participants, telling in detail the history of its creation, noting its geographical features. “On the territory of the reserve, work to restore and preserve the unique folk craft of beekeeping and to protect the gene pool of the Burzyan bee is underway,” Elina Gataullina said. 

“The need to preserve the world-unique indigenous craft of the Bashkirs has become a weighty argument for UNESCO specialists when making a decision to create the integrated biosphere reserve ‘Bashkir Ural’,” the expert explained. 

She also pointed out the features of the Burzyan bee and the challenges associated with its life-sustaining activities. “Threats of the Burzyan wild-hive honeybee loss come from its crossbreeding. Over the past 30 years, due to crampedness of the living space, the share of wild-hive honeybee colonies with signs of crossbreeding has increased from 2-3 percent to 9-14 percent,” said Elina Gataullina. 

“The collapse of the Soviet Union has had a negative impact on the state of beekeeping in Uzbekistan. The termination of the Potrebsoyuz activity, the main purchaser of honey from amateur beekeepers, a decrease in consumer demand among the population, a disruption of economic ties and supply chains of bee products have led to a glut of bee products in the market, a sharp drop in honey prices, a reduction in the number of beekeepers and a several-fold reduction in the number of bee colonies, said Sherali Suyarkulov, Advisor to the Association of Beekeepers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 

The most important step towards the restoration of the sub-sector was the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures for the further development of the beekeeping industry in the republic” dated October 16, 2017. Then the Association of beekeepers of Uzbekistan was created. This gave impetus to the revival: beekeeping and dekhkan farms, small enterprises began to develop actively, “they started to receive allocated land and soft loans.” 

Sherali Suyarkulov said that with the financial support of FAO “an electronic accounting system for beekeepers and their products, an early warning system for the use of pesticides have been developed and are being put into practice to ensure timely exchange of information between beekeepers and farmers. A reservation system for the placement of apiaries has been created for the optimal distribution of bee colonies within agricultural landscapes.” 

“Also, with the financial support of FAO, several textbooks on beekeeping for universities have been released in the Uzbek language and some videos as well, an electronic Encyclopedia of beekeeping, a manual on beekeeping that can be accessed via a mobile phone, has been elaborated and introduced.”  

Julia Romanenko, Co-founder of “LipkoSladko” Apiary and Honey Label, Founder of the Online Beekeeping School, shared her personal experience of creating a honey-producing company in 2010, which now includes 5 000 hives. 

“The main stock is flower honey, on the basis of which we make various honey compositions,” said Yulia Romanenko. “Part of the apiary is located in Adygea, and our mountain honey is from there.” 

“The main focus of the company is the production of honey, cream honey and honey compositions. Also, our product range includes cosmetics based on bee products and natural wax candles,” the young entrepreneur described her successful undertaking in a lively and spontaneous manner. 

“Having our own production allows us to respond in a timely manner to changing tastes and preferences of customers and expand the product range. Over the past year alone, 10 types of honey compositions have been developed, which have gained high popularity among consumers,” Yulia Romanenko concluded. 

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You can watch the statements made at the conference in the following post on VKontakte: https://m.vk.com/wall-213166314_3

BACKGROUND 

On 20 December 2017, the UN General Assembly with the resolution A/RES/72/211 established World Bee Day to draw the attention of the world community to the great role that bees and other pollinators play in maintaining the health of people and the planet. 

World Bee Day is called to shed light on what bees and other pollinators’ habitat represents, and to serve as stimulus to ensure optimal conditions for them to survive and prosper. This year, World Bee Day is going to remind us about the importance of joint work, interaction and cooperation. 

Beekeeping in Russia has deep traditional roots and is a crucial element to ensure food and ecological security of the country, a source of the most valuable food product and income for a significant number of the rural population. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, at present time beekeeping is mainly concentrated in private farms, which account for almost 94 percent of bee colonies. Traditional centres and modern leaders in honey production are the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Primorsk and Altai Regions and the North Caucasus republics. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic has had a significant negative impact on agrifood sector, affecting beekeeping, as well. The initiative “Build back better for bees” put forward by FAO implies the support for recovery activities after COVID-19, which reduce drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. 

Protection of bees and pollinators is also part of One Health approach to sustainable agriculture, which acknowledges links between human, animal, plant and environmental health. It increases resilience (including to future pandemics) as well as fosters Green Growth and development.  

DID YOU KNOW? 

Why this particular date has been chosen for the observance of World Bee Day? 

On 20 May 1734, Anton Janša, Slovenian pioneer of beekeeping and artist, author of universally recognized works on beekeeping, was born. 

Are you aware that bees are not the only pollinators who support life on Earth? Transporting pollen from one flower to another bees, butterflies, birds, bats and other pollinators ease and increase food production, thus contributing to ensuring food security and nutrition. 

Internet resources:

https://www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en/