I work for The British Land Company PLC and as part of our corporate responsibility initiative we have just welcomed 40,000 thousand buzzy new tenants to the roof of our head office in Marble Arch.
We are discovering and learning as we go, but its already a very rewarding experience and of course we are helping to save the planet by increasing the bee population!
One hive is already in place and we plan to increase numbers with a second one shortly. Currently the bees are being fed on a sugar solution to prepare them for hibernation so we'll just keep a eye over them during the winter months and let them rest in their new hive.
Soon they will be able to collect pollen from Hyde Park and I hope to be able to bring you recipes featuring our urban honey.
This contraption emits smoke which warns the bees to expect a visit.
When they detect the smoke they immediately try to collect all their food and it ensures that they are too busy to be aggressive. Ours seem to be quite a friendly bunch so far anyway.
