National Honey Bee Day

National Honey Bee Day
Significance	Honoring honey bees and beekeepers
Date	Third Saturday in August
2015 date	August 15
2016 date	August 20
2017 date	August 19
2018 date	August 18
Frequency	annual

National Honey Bee Day (formerly National Honey Bee Awareness Day) is an awareness day started by beekeepers in the United States to build community awareness of the bee industry, through education and promotion.

According to its organizers, the National Honey Bee Day program started with a simple concept:^[1]

Bring together beekeepers, bee associations, as well as other interested groups to connect with the communities to advance beekeeping. By working together and harnessing the efforts that so many already accomplish, and [by] using a united effort one day a year, the rewards and message is magnified many times over. We encourage bee associations, individuals, and other groups to get involved. The program is free and open to all.

The event was started in 2009, by a small group of beekeepers who petitioned for and obtained a formal proclamation^[2] by the USDA honoring honey bees and beekeeping. In 2010, a non-profit, Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc. was organized^[3] to better facilitate and promote the observance. The original date of observation was August 22, 2009 (the fourth Saturday of August), but has since settled permanently on the third Saturday of August.

References

1. "National Honey Bee Day statement of purpose". Penn Apic Inc. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
2. Vilsack, Tom (August 20, 2009). "National Honey Bee 'Awareness' Day". USDA Office of Communications. Retrieved 2012-08-14. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Proclaims Aug. 22 as the First National Honey Bee Awareness Day
3. "History of the National Honey Bee Day". Penn Apic Inc. Retrieved 18 August 2012.

External links

• World Honey Bee Day
• Official website
• North Central Florida Beekeepers Association National Honey Bee Day Event