The Knesset is set to become the first government entity in Israel to serve as an urban apiary center. Starting next week, two beehives will be set up in the Knesset's archaeological garden.
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Israel's legislative body was inspired by major urban sites around the world that are participating in a global environmental initiative that is seeing beehives erected on the rooftops of landmark structures such as the German parliament, New York's City Hall, the Vatican, the Oslo Opera House, among others.
Honeybees are responsible for approximately 75% of pollination. It would be hard to overstate the damage to plant growth and the food supply that would be caused if bees were to disappear. Recent decades have seen a steady decline in the global bee population, particularly in western nations. Some of the causes include increased diseases that harm bees, the wide use of insecticides, reduced agricultural use of land, and climate change, as well as increased radiation and increased breeding of cultured bees, who are competing with the natural bee population.
A number of initiatives have been established to combat the problem of vanishing bees and increase people's awareness of their importance.
The Knesset reported that the bees in its hives will be raised in accordance with the principles of biodynamic beekeeping, which works differently than industrial beekeeping. The honey these bees produced will not be collected. The biodynamic approach prioritizes the bees' health and immune systems, with the goal of raising bees that are genetically strong that can be released into the wild at a later stage. After the shmita year is over, Knesset gardeners will fill the area around the beehives with dedicated plants intended to support the project.
"The Knesset, which also serves as an attraction for visitors, intends to add the [beehive] project into its guided tours, especially in 'green tours' that put an emphasize on the activity the Knesset, being a leading parliament in environment legislation, is promoting," Tamar Bar-On, senior environment affairs coordinator at the Knesset, told Israel Hayom.
The Knesset's beehives will be co-operated with Yossi Aud, a leader in the Israeli initiative to restore bees to cities and the wild in Israel. Among his other projects, Aud founded groups Magen Devorim Adom, which is working to rescue Israel's bee population, and Bees for Peace, which seeks to build bridges between Israel's Jewish, Muslim, and Christian sectors, as well as the Palestinians and Jordanians, through the encouragement of biodynamic beekeeping. Magen Dvorim Adom currently operates six urban beekeeping centers nationwide.
"Apart from the great importance of increasing the bee population, their contribution to natural process and the security of our food supply, I'm thrilled every time to see how visitors are at first repelled by and frightened by the bees, and at the end of the guided tour and meeting hold the bees on their hands with pleasure.
"It's a lesson for us all – the stinging insect that is seen as an enemy all of a sudden becomes a friend. This is an opportunity to change the stigma, with the goal of accepting the other. This could be the first stage, a step in the process of changing the visitors' relationship to bees, and instilling a new relationship between humans and their [bee] friends in our society and culture," Aud said.
Knesset Director-General Gil Segal told Israel Hayom: "This is an exciting environment move, with an important message about strengthening urban nature in Israel. The decline in the global bee population is a warning light to all of us. The climate crisis has taught us about the damage humans have done to the environment throughout the years, and the Knesset will continue to expand its activity in the environmental field, promote innovative projects, and integrate sustainable practices into its work routine to continue to be the leading parliament in the environmental field."
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