SAVE THE BEES: A honey bee feasting on the nectar of freshly-bloomed Moringa flowers (shojne phul) in Beel Pabla area of Khulna’s Dumuria upazila. With spring comes the blossoming of different varieties of flowers. While for us humans, the flowers in full bloom can be a magnificent sight, their importance is far greater for honey bees – who, in turn, are essential to human survival. They are not only the greatest honey-producers in the world, according to bee experts of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, a third of the world’s food production depends on bees. Their greatest impact for humans is through the pollination of agricultural crops, while wildlife can benefit from honey bees through the pollination of many wildland plants. However, bee populations have been declining globally over recent decades due to deforestation, excessive use of pesticide and air pollution – negatively affecting many of the Earth’s ecosystems and posing a threat to a variety of plants critical to human well-being. To save the planet and humankind, the world must first save the bees.
PHOTO: HABIBUR RAHMAN
Parents of examinees huddled in front of Motijheel Govt Girls and Boys schools, which are next to each other, in the capital, as their children sit for this year’s SSC exams, which began across the country yesterday. PHOTO: AMRAN HOSSAIN
