Review paper
https://doi.org/10.33765/thate.16.1.4
Published in: Holistic Approach Environ. 16(2026) 1, pp. 36 – 45
Paper reference number: HAE-2542
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BIOLOGICAL, PRODUCTIVE AND SOCIOCULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF HONEY BEES – CONTRIBUTION TO COMMON WELFARE

Saša Zavrtnik^*, Jelena Loborec^*, Denis Cvitković^**, Damir Žubčić^**

^* University of Zagreb, Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, Varaždin, Croatia

^** University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia

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ABSTRACT

The coexistence of bees (Apis spp.) and humans goes back for millennia. Bees play an irreplaceable role as pollinators of flowering plants (Angiospermae) in ecosystems and thus in maintaining biodiversity. Throughout history, humans have brought honey bees closer to themselves by building them dwellings and providing certain protection in exchange for their products. Today, the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) is primarily needed as a pollinator of many agricultural crops and without them humanity would not be able to produce enough food. The usefulness of bees is also manifested in the form of biological indicators of the conditions in the environment. The importance of bees and their role in human society are intertwined with various segments of society and culture. Bees have a prominent place in literature, religion, culture and art, as well as in everyday life. However, it is not possible to numerically express and materially quantify every individual value attributed to bees. Therefore, due to (lack of) care for their and human’s shared environment, the issue of the consequences of the loss of bees is imposed at the level of the number of honeybee colonies as well as at the level of the number of bee species. This complex problem can be viewed more comprehensively from a multidisciplinary and integrative bioethical aspect. In it all contributions of bees are acknowledged, recognizing that the health or illness, wealth or poverty of future generations depend on their protection and enabling the realization of the roles that are both innate and assigned to them.

Keywords: honey bee Apis mellifera L., biological role, production, sociocultural importance, welfare, integrative bioethics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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