World Bee Day is being observed on Monday (May 20) with the intent of raising awareness of the crucial role of bees, the threats they face and their contribution to global sustainable development.

Bees are key to conserving biodiversity and are a cornerstone of The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Bees play a crucial role as pollinators to provide food, food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, climate change mitigation and a healthy environment.

Bee Facts:

> Bees have been producing honey for at least 150 million years

> Bees use their antennae to smell. They can detect nectar 2km away

> On one flight from the hive to collect honey, a honey bee will visit between 50 and 100 flowers

> A bee must visit about four million flowers to produce 1kg of honey

> One beehive of honey bees can produce up to 150kg of honey per year

> Worker bees produce about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetimes.