The main reason for the disappearance of the bees is shortage in bee food – flower nectar, which among other things is the result of the climate crisis and extreme events that influence the growth, along with urbanization and reduction of agricultural fields. For this reason, KKL-JNF and the Honey Board initiated a major project to plant 45,000 nectary trees and bushes to battle the shortage of nectary plants, and to widen the growth to the late spring, summer and autumn seasons.
As part of the project, KKL-JNF grows tens of thousands of nectary trees and bushes, planted throughout the country in collaboration with the beekeepers. In addition, the Honey Board collaborates with towns and villages to increase awareness of the importance of preserving nature and wildlife, and the importance of the honeybee to agricultural growth. The Honey Board and KKL-JNF also collaborate on planting projects.
Hagay Yevlovich, Manager of the Seeds Section in KKL-JNF: "KKL-JNF increases its collaboration with the Honey Board to strengthen the growth of nectary trees for honeybee food creation all throughout the year, in order to turn the country greener. The distribution of plants is done with the full collaboration of the Honey Board and the beekeepers, and in the past few years the process have been improved to provide beekeepers with the services given by the trees, as carbon sequestration, oxygen creation, keeping the soil from being drifted, animal habitats and more."
Ofi Reich, Chairman of the Honey Board: "The Honey Board works constantly to find the right places for planting, in order to increase the sources of nectar for the honeybees, the main pollinating specie in nature. For this reason, there is great importance in the collaboration with all the relevant parties in Israel for nectary planting, in order to ensure the continuation of food production in the country. I congratulate KKL-JNF for its assistance to the honey and beekeeping industry, and the communities and institutes who also joined the project. This year, such planting is extremely important due to the driest Israeli winter in 50 year, which is expected to reduce the nectar resources for bees even more. I therefore call the people in Israel to plant only nectary trees and bushes for the sake of honeybees."
The Honey Board reports that hundreds of beekeepers maintain dozens of beehives spread in thousands of locations throughout the country, with 80 thousand hives pollinating agricultural fields of fruits and vegetables. The value of bee pollination to Israel's agricultural GNP is about 3.5 billion ILS.