Don't Step on a Bee Day Posted on 9 July 2018 by Jack - Student, Maidstone Grammar School for Boys in General In 2018, Don’t Step on a Bee Day takes place on July 10th and a number of special events will be organised across the country. The events will help bring people together to learn about the importance of protecting and caring for bees and educate them on different ways that they can change their bee-haviour.The awareness day is also an important reminder that the fate of the common bee lies in the balance – with bee numbers in some countries having halved in the last decade with no apparent cause, it’s vital that we take care to maintain bee populations, pollination and honey production. Some interesting facts about bees include:1) Research in 2008 showed that Asian bees and European bees can understand each other.2) Further research in 2012 showed that bees can recognise human faces. 3) A honey bee’s wings beat about 200 beats per second, which is what makes their buzz.4) The average worker bee makes only one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. 5) Worker honey bees are female, live for about six weeks and do all the work. 6) The male bees are drones and their only task is to find a queen bee to mate with.7) Africanized honey bees, also known as killer bees, were originally produced in 1956 by cross-breeding African bees with European bees. Since being introduced into Brazil they have killed more than 1,000 people. 8) Until the late 17th/early 18th century, queen bees were thought to be kings. It’s important to note that bees pollinate a third of everything we eat and play a vital role in sustaining the planet’s ecosystems. 84% of the crops grown for human consumption – around 400 different types of plants – need bees and other insects to pollinate them to increase their yields and quality. These include most fruits and vegetables, many nuts, and plants such as rapeseed and sunflowers that are turned into oil, as well as cocoa beans, coffee and tea. Crops grown as fodder for dairy cows and other livestock are also pollinated by bees. Bees also make an invaluable contribution to ecosystems around the world. Seeds, fruits and berries eaten by birds and small mammals are all from plants that are pollinated by bees, making them guardians of the food chain and the biodiversity of our species.Here are 4 things you can do to help save our wonderful bees:1) If you see a bee struggling in the heat, feed it a few drops of sugar water to give it some energy, and try to protect it from wandering human feet.2) You could also create a bee’s paradise in your garden at home by planting pollen-rich plants, providing a water source for the bees to drink from and little hidey-holes for them to hang out in. 3) Plant more flowers in your garden 4) Stay away from potent weed killers and fertilizers, as they are extremely toxic to bees. It is clear bees are invaluable creatures that play a big part in our world and shockingly, many people are unaware of this. So, let’s take action today and get involved in Don’t Step on a Bee Day by raising awareness and saving our precious bees. Don't miss our recent blog detailing 10 techniques to reduce your plastic usage.Sources:https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/dont-step-bee-day-2018/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/17/why-are-bees-importanthttps://www.irishnews.com/magazine/science/2017/07/10/news/don-t-step-on-a-bee-day-here-s-why-we-should-be-taking-care-of-our-stripy-friends-1080784/