The United Nations with Resolution A/RES/72/211 adopted by the General Assembly on the 20^th December 2017, proclaimed May 20^th as World Bee Day. Bees and other pollinators, such as for example butterflies and bats, are now seriously threatened by climate change and human activities. The aim of this Day is to raise public awareness about the importance of “pollinators” which are fundamental for their contribution to continuation of nature, in fact pollination is an essential process for the survival of our ecosystems.

Pollinators, indeed, allow many plants, including many food crops, to reproduce. It is necessary to note that the vast majority of flowering plant species only produce seeds if animal pollinators move pollen from the anthers to the stigmas of their flowers. It is also important to stress that pollinators not only contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity. Without this extremely important service by pollinators, many interconnected species and processes functioning within the ecosystem would collapse.

Pollinators also serve as sentinels for emergent environmental risks, furthermore protecting pollinators means helping to slow down and stop biodiversity loss.