‘One in every three bites that we have in our plate is polinated by bees’.

According to a study published by the University of California at Berkeley, insect pollinators contribute towards producing 35% of all crops in the world.

This was motivation for Jocelyn McBride and Zahira Nedjraoui to establish the first non-profit BeeKeepers Association in the UAE, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of protecting these insects for future generations.

The duo hopes to integrate its findings into the school curriculum, thus bridging the large gap between children and nature.

‘My son thinks apples and strawberries are grown in the supermarket’, said Zahira.

Although her son is very young, she believes this is the right time to teach him that everything he eats – from burgers to chocolates – have seen a big contribution by bees at some stage.

The world of bees is well organised, with each hive governed by its own queen.

The queen gets special treatment from other worker bees, while feeding only on royal jelly and shouldering the responsibility of laying eggs in her cell.

Jocelyn further explained that cell members unite when their queen dies and the colony chooses a larva which will take her place.

Once the young queen has mated, she will spend the rest of her life laying eggs; a queen bee can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day and one million eggs during her lifetime.

Jocelyn and Zahira hope to educate people to refrain from destroying beehives if formed in their homes.

 The women advise people to contact them in such cases, whereby allowing the duo to safely arrange the removal of these hives.

These beehives are then nurtured in Al Barari, Dubai.