Linden is full of busy bees!
By Soteira Briginshaw
Linden students have not been the only busy bees in the school building this fall. We have a new rooftop beehive through a partnership with Alvéole, The Urban Beekeeping Company who helped install a hive of bees on the Linden School roof this past July. Alvéole staff make bi-weekly maintenance visits to manage the upkeep of the hive. We are looking forward to our first honey harvest next Friday and to upcoming workshops about urban beekeeping in the fall.
By installing beehives on the roof of the school, Linden is actively taking part in sustainable development. Urban beekeeping contributes to increased local honey production, and the pollination of local plants that provide a greener urban setting. We are helping protect the bees that have been in decline all over the world, while increasing the general population’s awareness about their essential role in the environment.
Did you know?
- The bee is a pollinator insect that plays a major role in the production of fruits, vegetables and nuts: one-third of our food supply relies on their pollination!
- One beehive houses approximately 50,000 bees
- Bees must visit 5 million flowers and travel the equivalent of 4 times around the earth to produce once single kilogram of honey
- Their wings flutter 230 times per second; that’s what makes their buzzing sound
The installation of beehives and the production of The Linden School honey will be made in collaboration with Alvéole. Created in Montreal in 2012, the company specializes in urban apiculture. Their goal? To change the urban landscape of Canadian cities, one beehive at a time and raise awareness among urban citizens of the importance of pollinating species. The organization will also conduct educational workshops so that students can learn about the biology of the bee, the behavior of the colony, how to use beekeeping equipment, and the production of honey and how honey is extracted.
One beehive produces around 10 to 15 kilos of honey annually. We will be sharing information in the coming months about how you can get access to our very own Linden honey, created by our own rooftop bees!
For more information, check out this article about the seven roles of worker bees.
Please feel free to contact Soteira Briginshaw if you have any questions about this exciting project.