Beekeeping and social reintegration project at Head Office

We are pleased to announce the launch of an original and productive initiative at Head Office: an urban beekeeping project. On May 22, eight beehives were installed on the grounds of the Campus. The bees will deposit their nectar in the hives and in September we will be able to start harvesting our own unique honey.

The project, which is being carried out in partnership with Accueil Bonneau and the Montreal company Alvéole, also has a social reintegration component. People who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless will be trained to tend the hives, harvest the honey and participate in public education and sales activities.

Why urban beekeeping?

Urban beekeeping helps increase local honey production, pollination and the greening of the urban environment. Its mission is to protect bee populations, which are declining dramatically around the world, and raise public awareness of bees' vital importance to the environment.

The bee is a pollinating insect that plays a major role in the growth cycle of fruits, vegetables and nuts. In fact, one third of the food we eat depends on bee pollination!

The beehives are being installed and the honey produced in cooperation with Alvéole, a company that specializes in urban beekeeping. It is dedicated to changing the urban landscape of Canada's major cities, one beehive at a time.

Alvéole estimates that the bees housed at Agropur will produce around 80 kilos of honey per year.

Information session

The folks from Accueil Bonneau and Alvéole will be at Head Office on May 30 manning an information stand on the bees. Watch Agronet for more details.

Did you know?

  • One beehive is home to approximately 50,000 bees
  • Bees need to visit around 5,000,000 flowers and fly the equivalent of four times around the Earth to produce a single kilogram of honey
  • Bees flap their wings 230 times per second, which is what produces the buzzing sound
  • Unlike wasps, bees are not attracted by human food and sting only if they feel their colony is threatened.