Bird and Bee Hawaii is hosting its first World Bee Day event on Saturday to raise awareness about the importance of bees.
The event will bring bee experts together at Mokupapapa Discovery Center to help educate keiki, their families and other members of the public about honeybees and other pollinators.
Susan Collins, owner of Bird and Bee Hawaii, developed the event to coincide with World Bee Day, which is celebrated each year on May 20.
“We will have 12 tables of learning activities as well as 10 to 15 vendors that support pollinators and bees across the island,” Collins said. “Without pollinators, we wouldn’t have most of our foods. They support our agricultural businesses, and people aren’t aware of how pollinators have an effect on our food supply.”
According to Collins, it’s more critical than ever to raise awareness about the threats facing bee populations worldwide, since over 75% of global food crops depend on pollinators for their production. Habitat loss, climate change, pesticides and disease all have led to declines in bee populations, which puts food systems and ecosystems at risk.
“The fact is, if we don’t do something now, it will be too late. It’s important to educate children on how to protect pollinators, so they know it’s the norm,” Collins said. “I love having kids come to my apiary and when families work together to have healthy environments for pollinators at their homes.”
Bird and Bee Hawaii offers tours of the farm, where visitors can dawn a full bee suit and interact with the hives in the apiary.
The farm also offers a four-part beekeeping class for those interested in learning how to manage hives with specific equipment, as well as how to extract honey.
While beekeepers help the bees maintain a good population, not everyone needs to keep a hive to do their part.
“The best way to support local beekeepers is to buy local honey, as that gives them the means to keep doing what they do. Supporting local agriculture and buying organic produce also makes a difference,” Collins said. “If you grow things, no matter how small, it’s important to have flowering plants that bring pollinators to the plants and to not use pesticides. Creating good environments for bees will be the best way to help the population.”
The community can attend the World Bee Day event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Mokupapapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo.
For more information, visit birdandbeehawaii.org.
Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com
