Small wings, big job

Honey bees may be small, but without them, your grocery list would be a lot shorter. No more berries, avocados or even coffee. Alongside butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, bees pollinate nearly 90% of the world's wild flowering plants and over 35% of the food crops we rely on. World Bee Day, marked every May 20, honours these vital pollinators and celebrates Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern beekeeping. Janša saw bees as the noblest of insects, an idea now backed by science.
© Anthony Brown/Alamy Stock Photo