Nowadays, high-quality, delicious honey can be successfully produced even in a city environment. Proof of this are the Prague districts of Brumlovka and Nové Roztyly, where the number of beehives has increased from four to eight and the total honey production has gone up by 56.5 % as a result. Thanks to seven bee colony patrons, a total of 140 kg of honey has been produced this year from eight beehives. The bees are thriving particularly thanks to the local parks and roof gardens full of greenery and a diverse range of flowers, as well as the proximity of Krč Forest. The bees are an essential part of the local ecosystem – they pollinate plants, promote biodiversity and help maintain a healthy and viable urban environment.
“We launched the urban beekeeping project in 2022 in collaboration with the Bees on Roofs organisation and we are delighted to see how successful it is. We are very pleased that the bees are doing well in the Brumlovka and Roztyly locations and we plan to continue developing them further. In keeping the bees, digital tools are used to collect and analyse data about the state of the bee colonies. This means that we can not only provide valuable information to other beekeepers, but we also try to educate the public and strengthen people’s relationship with nature in the city,” says Martin Unger, technical director and ESG at Passerinvest Group.
The beehives are located on the Roztyly Plaza office building at Roztyly and also three buildings at Brumlovka, where the latest addition in June of this year was a hive on the Filadelfie building. Its patron is the Tereza Maxová Foundation, whose mission is to enable every child to enjoy a happy and safe childhood in a family environment and to give disadvantaged children the chance of a better life. “For us, the beehive is not only a symbol of sustainability and care for nature – it is also a reminder that even small creatures can have a big impact. In the same way that our foundation provides help where it is needed, bees also quietly and tirelessly contribute to the balance of the world around us,” says Tereza Maxová, founder of the foundation.
And what do the bee colony patrons do with the honey harvest? Passerinvest, for example, donates some of the honey to the Letokruh senior citizens club, which uses it to bake Christmas gingerbread cookies. The company then gives them out to the local community at Christmas events, for example at the lighting of the Christmas tree at Brumlovka, which this year will take place on Thursday, 27 November. Each of the 564 jars of honey is not only a delicious treat, but also a symbol of mutual support and solidarity at a time when people are reminded of the value of togetherness more than at any other time of the year.
