Producers of healthy honey, little workers, important creatures for the planet – all about bees. These creatures are an important part of biodiversity, which is why they are so precious to us. In various places around the world, people are trying to take care of them, maintaining their population and improving their habitat. Here’s one wonderful example seen in Japan!

This charming mini-garden was built near the Hitokotonushi Shrine in Japan, near Tokyo. The garden is a miniature replica of the temple’s ablution pavilion. The bees’ corner is designed with safety and comfort in mind, so that they can drink fresh water, cool down, and rest in the shade.

The staff usually do this during the summer season, when the bees are in particular need of fresh water. Access to water allows them to dilute the honey and stabilize the temperature in the hives.

A sign is installed at the shrine for the human visitors to ease relations with the bees that reads: “To those using the temizu, honeybees in the neighborhood are currently coming to the shrine to drink water. We are now guiding the bees to their own exclusive water drinking spot. They have a very gentle disposition so they rarely sting. Please look over them warmly without provoking them.”

In Shinto temples all animals are treated with respect. Helping animals and respecting nature is one of the foundations of the followers of this religion in Japan. Recently, pictures of this bee garden circulated on the web, with many users appreciating the idea and admiring the way bees are treated in Japan. Take a look at this marvelous creation.