Urban apiary on the roof of the Poznań seat of Żabka

Urban apiary on the roof of the Poznań seat of Żabka

We will find them in the most crowded metropolitan areas of the world. They stand on many buildings in the city centers, e.g. on the rooftops of the London Stock Exchange, Paris Opera Garnier or the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. Recently, a city apiary was also installed on the roof of an office building at 8 Stanisława Matyi Street in Poznań, the seat of Żabka. At the end of August, "Żabka hives” have been settled, and bees already bring pollen to them. This 12-beehive urban apiary is the largest in the area. Taking care of bees, Żabka supports the development of vegetation that absorbs CO₂ and improves the quality of life of inhabitants.

There are 12 bee colonies in the "Żabka hives", totaling around 600,000 bees. They are honey bees, non-aggressive. They have been looked after by the Pszczelarium company, which for years has been managing with a love many similar urban apiaries. According to estimates, next year every "Żabka hive" shall produce approx. 20 kg of honey.

Recently the bee hives located on the roof of the building at Matyi Street were secured for the winter period. In addition, insect-friendly plants were planted on the roof - heather pots were placed in the vicinity of the hives.

Naturalists are warning that insects die eight times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles. These include pollinators, which support a large proportion of food production and many fragile ecosystems. Scientists estimate that if bees die out, humans will die out four years later. Urban apiaries can therefore save a population of these extremely useful insects. In addition, urban bees produce twice as much honey as rural bees. Why? Because in urban parks, botanical gardens, gardens, balconies, you plant a lot of different honeydew plants. Moreover, no pesticides are used in cities and temperatures are higher, which promotes the development and wintering of bees.