On World Bee Day, Beesline Reveals Lebanon’s Undocumented Wild Bee Diversity
This World Bee Day, for the first time ever, Beesline shares their full story behind 30 years of bee-powered skincare, as well as a conservation journey that began after discovering Lebanon’s remarkable wild bee diversity.
Founded on the power of bees and apitherapy, Beesline has always been inspired by the hive. But in 2022, the company’s own learning journey revealed an important truth: protecting bees means looking beyond the honeybee.
“This World Bee Day, it’s time to bring our knowledge of bees to the public. We want to educate them as we have been educated over the past three years and inspire people around the protective life force of bees, while providing concrete ways to take part in their protection”, says Mohamad Arayssi, Beesline’s Co-Founder and CEO.
Did you know Lebanon is a global wild bee hotspot?
Europe spans nearly 10 million km² and hosts around 2,300 bee species. Lebanon alone is estimated to host 800–900 species, many of which remain undocumented. This makes Lebanon one of the most species-dense regions globally for wild bees in the Mediterranean Basin, and the reason this journey began with important research there, locally in Lebanon.
The first step was to really see, recognize, and document them, so they can become part of global-level conservation.
This commitment led Beesline to Dr. Mira Boustani, an entomologist and the only wild bee expert in the region. It turned into a partnership to help everyone understand bees’ diversity, their role on the planet, and how essential they are to natural cycles, as well as documenting them.
“The recent monitoring effort expanded the known distribution of previously recorded species and found new species to science. Our wild fauna and flora are precious natural resources. With all the threats to food security today, turning back to native plants and their pollinators is key,” says wild bee expert Dr. Mira Boustani.
Image via www.anera.org
A wild bee protection model: awareness, education and science
At the same time, in 2022, Beesline set out to build a wild bee protection model that combines awareness, education and science. These programs together create a concrete path to strengthen all protective efforts.
– Guardians of the Wild makes wild bees visible, understood, and protected through educational material. They provide locally sourced native and heirloom seeds that help create the habitats they need to survive. The program resulted in over 10,000 engaged customers offline, with seeds distributed across Lebanon.
– Young Guardians brought wild bee education into Lebanese schools through interactive sessions, planting activities and hands-on learning. Their belief is that children who understand bees will grow into adults who protect them. To date, over 3,000 students have attended these sessions.
– The Red Data Book of Bees of Lebanon, led by Dr. Mira Boustani and funded by Beesline, is Lebanon’s first nationwide wild bee monitoring and assessment program. This long-term scientific initiative follows the internationally recognized IUCN Red List approach, leading to the first comprehensive work of its kind in the region. Ultimately, it will help enable concrete conservation measures for wild bee species in Lebanon.
The results already speak for themselves, with 150 trained participants, 547 hours spent in the field and lab, and 1,734 insect specimens collected. This work also led to identifying new species for Lebanon. This includes Hylaeus rubicola found by Beesline’s in-house Biodiversity Specialist Roaa Kurdi, DVM, in Choueifat, Andrena ferox, found in Akkar, and Lithurgus tibialis, found in Qlaaia.
Purpose beyond formulas
When Beesline was founded over 30 years ago, they worked with the 1000s of year-old history and expertise in apitherapy. They’ve brought more care and commitment to the bees by standing by their goal to care for people and planet.
Today, that commitment has earned recognition far beyond the beauty shelf. As a Société à Mission, being purpose-led is embedded in their legal articles and status. As a Certified B Corporation™, they are held to independently verified standards across environmental impact, transparency and social responsibility.
This World Bee Day, Beesline is encouraging people to learn more about the role of wild bees. The company believes that noticing and understanding these species in their natural environment is the first step toward protecting them.
Want to know more about Beesline and their vision this World Bee Day? Make sure to follow them on Instagram! For more content like this, check out the #Awareness and #Support Local sections on our website.
