London Beekeepers Dismiss Corporate Beekeeping, Worried About Too Many Bees

Andrew Skudder/CC BY-SA 2.0

From beekeeping at the Olympics to hives on church roofs, London has taken on the plight of the honeybee as a cause to rally around.

But the BBC Reports that some beekeepers are concerned about schemes to put beehives at corporate headquarters, suggesting that instead of simply increasing the density of beehives, they'd be better off planting more forage crops and protecting biodiversity:

...the LBKA dismissed the project as "bee bling" saying firms should focus their spending on planting forage.

LBKA secretary Angela Woods said: "There are a finite number of green spaces in London. It could get to the point where the bees are not sustainable. "London's bee population is going up but honey yields in London are going down and we need to ask is it because there is not enough forage."

The London Beekeepers Association has raised concerns before about overpopulation of hives, but it has yet to offer data or evidence to back up its concerns. According to the organization's twitter feed, however, it is working with academics and non-profits to get a clearer picture of what is going on.

Whether or not the bee population of London has reached saturation point will likely remain a topic of hot debate, but there is one thing we can all agree on—more green space, and more flowers, would be a good thing for human and non-human Londoners alike.

Tags: Activism | Bees | Cities | Colony Collapse Disorder | London | United Kingdom


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