Tomorrow’s Buzz: It’s World Bee Day

Tomorrow, 20th May 2024 is World Bee Day, and our Foundation is celebrating this occasion in a grand manner. It is also the first anniversary of our Foundation’s formal request to the Environmental and Resources Authority to declare the Maltese Honey Bee as the National Insect of Malta.

Tomorrow, the Foundation will launch a new educational video titled “A Unique Insect: The Maltese Honey Bee,” as part of the National Insect Initiative and it will be featured on our social media and various local TV channels. The video explores various aspects of the Maltese Honey Bee, including its unique biodiversity, historic connection to the Maltese islands, challenges it faces, and future prospects. It features local beekeepers Arnold Grech, Michaelangelo Muscat, and Jorge Spiteri; academic Prof. David Mifsud; researcher Simone Cutajar; and an interview with local Tenor Joseph Calleja. Saviour Bonnici served as the videographer and editor for this project. He is the producer and wildlife cameraman for the esteemed program Natura Maltija, which has highlighted several wildlife species of the Maltese archipelago. Prof. Michael Spagnol, a prominent researcher in Maltese language and culture, narrated the video. This video has been funded by the Small Initiatives Support Scheme (SIS) managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) supported by the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector (MIV). In the meantime, why not get to know the production crew and the featured protagonists through our past posts? If you want to see more, enjoy the short video teasers we have provided!

Also for the occasion of World Bee Day 2024, the President of the Foundation, Dylan Farrugia, was interviewed on the radio program Newsline by Joe Dimech. The interview focused on the Foundation’s initiative to declare the Maltese Honey Bee as the National Species.

Also tomorrow, the Foundation will announce the winners of the “BeeCreative: Maltese Honey Bee artVenture” competition which was funded by HSBC Malta Foundation. This unique competition was designed to foster creativity and environmental awareness among Malta’s youngest citizens. Through this initiative centered around the Maltese Honey Bee, the island’s proposed National Insect, we invited students from Years 4 to 6 (ages 8-11) to explore its world through drawings, poems, or paintings, expressing their creativity and highlighting the significance of the Maltese Honey Bee in beekeeping, for the environment, and as natural heritage. By combining educational and artistic elements, this initiative aimed to cultivate a deep appreciation for this special pollinator.

The top 15 entries will be awarded a hand-knitted Maltese Honey Bee as a token of appreciation. Selecting the best submissions proved challenging as all entries were crafted with passion! We emphasised submissions that incorporated Maltese elements into their artwork. Furthermore, several A3 posters showcasing the initiative to designate the Maltese Honey Bee as Malta’s National Insect will be distributed to the three primary schools that showed remarkable participation.