On Saturday 23 May, coinciding with World Bee Day, Sant Jordi hosted the Festival de las Abejas (Festival de les Abelles), a festive day dedicated to this industrious social insect. Once again, the presence of Creatives for the Planet, always involved in the protection of bees with programmes such as ‘The Cycle of Life’, could not be missing in Sant Jordi.
One of the favourite activities for children and adults alike was ‘Adopt a bee’, in which locals could adopt a hundred-year-old Ibizan bee for five euros and thus help to protect it. Adopters received a certificate of adoption, a bracelet, a keyring and a jar of honey, as well as a visit to the beehives.
The Bee Festival was also attended by the Asociación de Vecinos de Rafal Trobat, one of the organisations most involved in the defence of the native Ibizan bee, which is threatened by hybridisation with foreign bees.
According to beekeeper Hans Salewski, beekeepers from the mainland bring queen bees to the island fertilised so that their eggs are of the same type, causing the rapid spread of this breed to the detriment of the Ibizan bee. “We can’t fight against this importation, but we can counteract it by controlling the mixing of breeds and repopulating the hives with bees native to Ibiza,” explains Salewski.
Cycle of Life, summer 2022
Next Sunday, the 5th of June, the next ‘Cycle of Life’ activity, Heartbeet, will be held at Finca Can Moreno. This is a guided tour of Hans Salewski’s beehives on this estate near Sa Forada. Sophia Brucklacher, responsible for the programme at For the Planet, tells us: “We always start the programme with the question “What do we need to live”, and with this didactic, the children come to the conclusion that we need food and where does the food come from? And then they learn about the importance of bees as pollinators. We also do a dance, because bees communicate with a dance. Finally, we put on a beekeeper’s suit and open a beehive to explain how bees live”.
These are the next dates to visit Can Moreno from the 5th of June:
We are waiting for you, don’t be a drone!
With information from Periódico de Ibiza. More information about ‘The cycle of life’, in our Education section.