The hives, managed on behalf of aviation giant Airbus, produce honey which is then used to measure emission levels around the airport grounds. The collected honey provides information regarding any chemical or metal deposits in the area allowing the airport to constantly monitor its environmental impact. The honey is then taken home by Airbus employees and clients to enjoy!
Honey bees and other pollinators are one of the most important species within our eco-system, in addition to influencing over a third of our food produce they are also absolutely crucial for the survival of most of our animal and plant populations.
While all insect pollinators are incredibly industrious, perhaps the humble bee is the hardest worker of all. In addition to pollinating hundreds of thousands of flowers in a lifetime and contributing to the beauty of our countryside and urban jungles alike, they also work exceedingly hard to produce delicious honey.
By introducing bee hives, airports can now easily monitor their emissions and overall carbon footprint, allowing them to assess their environmental impact whilst making a positive contribution to their surrounding biodiversity.
Whilst it may be surprising to some, modern airports thoroughly understand the importance of ethically managing their environmental and social impact and by housing bee hives on site the airports in question are going one step further in showing their customers how much they care, whilst creating a wonderful opportunity for customer and community interaction.
Some organisations have even implemented the use of small cameras within the bee hives, allowing customers and staff alike to watch with growing interest the bees organised comings and goings, creating a unique point of interest and calm in an otherwise stressful environment.
As the Hamburg hives have shown, the collected honey proves an incredible source of natural data regarding the airports carbon emissions and air pollution allowing them to adjust their actions accordingly and ultimately help improve their surrounding environment and biodiversity in a natural sustainable way.
Such a commitment to the environment is something that we here at Plan Bee would certainly love to see from our own airports here in the UK and we would be delighted to provide our services to help them increase their own sustainability whilst making a positive impact to the environment.
Source: Airbus
