21 May World Bee Day 2026
On 20 May, World Bee Day is celebrated: an event established by the United Nations to draw attention to the importance of pollinators and the essential role they play in ecosystems and agricultural systems.
This year again, Biodiversity Friend renews its commitment to protecting bees and biodiversity by promoting knowledge, research, and concrete actions across the territory.
The theme chosen for 2026, “Bee Together for People and the Planet – A partnership that sustains us all” highlights the value of collaboration among communities, institutions, farmers, and researchers to safeguard bees and promote sustainable practices.
Bees – together with bumblebees, butterflies, hoverflies and many other insects – ensure the reproduction of thousands of plant species and contribute significantly to global food security. However, their populations are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, excessive pesticide use, climate change and the spread of invasive species. World Bee Day is therefore an essential opportunity to reflect on these challenges and to promote sustainable practices in agriculture and landscape management.
When speaking about bees, we often refer to a single species: the honey bee, which humans have learned to manage over thousands of years through the fascinating practice of beekeeping. But bees—technically known as anthophilous Apoidea—are far more diverse. Around 20,000 species are known worldwide, about 2,000 have been recorded in Europe, and more than 1,000 species live in Italy. Even the honey bee itself is an important component of biodiversity within its native range, which includes Africa, Europe and parts of Asia.
Although it has been managed by humans for several millennia, this species remains a wild organism, yet it is often regarded as a domesticated one and therefore perceived as non‑native in natural environments. Bees, however, are a fundamental component of our rich biodiversity, just like all other pollinators. Protecting pollinators means protecting the plants on which these organisms depend entirely or largely for their survival. Safeguarding pollinators ultimately means safeguarding entire ecosystems.
Biodiversity Friend has been carrying out research, monitoring, and outreach activities dedicated to pollinators for many years, also through the Biodiversity Friend® Beekeeping standard, which promotes sustainable beekeeping practices that respect the biology of the honeybee and the biodiversity of ecosystems.
On the occasion of World Bee Day 2026, we invite everyone to take a moment to discover these extraordinary organisms and to adopt small everyday actions that can make a real difference: creating flower‑rich spaces, reducing the use of chemical products, supporting sustainable beekeeping and taking part in citizen‑science initiatives.
Protecting bees means protecting biodiversity, the landscape and our future!