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Bees, what a passion. There are many writers, scientists or poets who have chosen bees as the object of speculation. Albert Einstein had issued the warning: "If bees disappeared from the face of the earth, man would have only four years left to live". Mario Rigoni Stern, a writer deeply attached to his land, the Asiago plateau, had underlined its social vocation: "Bees are 'together' and not individuals. Outside the community can not live". The poet Neruda celebrated with a signifier that seems a step of dance the tireless activity of the bees, "pure workers, ogival workers, fine, glittering proletarians". An interest which, also on the part of the media, grows, unfortunately, in a way directly proportional to the risk of disappearance of the bees and, in general, of all the pollinating insects.

Bees at risk of extinction: an enormous damage. Recently, in 2016, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published its first report dedicated to the decline in biodiversity of pollinating insects. IPBES estimates suggest that at least one in ten insects is threatened with extinction, creating unimaginable economic damage. The loss of pollinators puts $577 billion of agricultural production at risk, while soil degradation has reduced productivity by 23%. The European Food Safety Authority's website writes: "Beekeeping is an ancient tradition. Honeybees have been bred in Europe for several millennia. Bees are fundamental to the environment, as they promote biodiversity by playing the essential role of pollination for many crops and wild plants. They contribute directly to human wealth and well-being through the production of honey and other food and feed products such as pollen, food processing wax, propolis in food technology and royal jelly as a dietary supplement and food ingredient. According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), of the 100 crop species that provide 90 % of the world's food, 71 are pollinated by bees. Most crops in the EU are dependent on insect pollination. Moreover, beyond the fundamental value of pollination for the conservation of biodiversity, its global annual monetary value has been estimated at hundreds of billions of euros. According to the journal Science, since the 1980s, in the United Kingdom alone, 52% of the wild species in the bees' family have been lost, i.e. the apoids, which account for 80% of the total species. Another survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Berkley, reveals the damage that such a loss causes: the study established that the existence of natural habitats for pollinating insects, within 1-2 km of farms, increases agricultural production in a decisive way. According to the research team's measurements, at least 90% of the monitored crops have been pollinated by wild insects.

The initiative to save bees and pollinators. As is often the case, civil society sounds the alarm bell when the abyss opens and could be a point of no return. The European Commission has therefore decided to register a European citizens' initiative entitled "Save the bees! Protecting biodiversity and improving habitats for insects in Europe". The organisers' policy platform focuses on several issues: making the promotion of biodiversity an overall objective of the Common Agricultural Policy, reducing the use of pesticides, promoting structural diversity in agricultural landscapes and cutting the use of fertilisers in Natura 2000 areas. Signatures will be collected from 27 May: there will be time to collect one million statements of support from at least seven different Member States. If the result is achieved, the Commission will have to react within three months, deciding whether or not to comply with the request, with a reasoned opinion. City bees have chosen MEDSEA. It may sound strange, but insects are disappearing more and more in the countryside. Small urban habitats in densely populated cities sometimes have the potential to become islands for the conservation of biodiversity. The city can be a place where areas can be created for the protection of the nourishing species of the so-called useful insects and the botanical species that are increasingly less widespread. Sometimes bees, mysterious and fascinating insects, choose their home with unfathomable determination and it is a small miracle to find a hive under the window of the MEDSEA Foundation. The urban centre thus becomes a refuge for many animal and plant species that can find a less hostile environment for their survival and the bees, in particular, remain less exposed to all those chemical agents used in agriculture. MEDSEA loves her bees!