The future of urban beekeeping: a roadmap to greener cities

At Alvéole, our mission has always been to support and protect all bees. Since 2013, we’ve given tens of thousands of people the opportunity to experience honey bees up close and, ultimately, fall in love with them — and all pollinators, really.

But we’ve always had bigger goals – dreams of a future of greener urban landscapes, where people and nature can thrive.

The urban beekeeping world has changed since we launched Alvéole nearly 10 years ago. Back then, bees were not top of mind for city dwellers. So, we made it our mission to spark an interest in as many people as possible. Today, people are more aware of bees and the struggles they face than ever before, and are looking for ways to make a bigger difference.

The road to greener cities

With a growing army of bee ambassadors behind us, we knew it was time to expand our nature-driven experiences and build out a roadmap that companies could follow to achieve more ambitious sustainability goals. Whether your organization is just starting their sustainability journey, or looking to reach the next level, we can take the steps together to make it happen!

STEP 1: IGNITE THE PASSION

It all starts at the beehive. There’s nothing that sparks passion and excitement quite like interacting with honey bees. Honey bees inspire a natural curiosity in people. Questions like “how are the bees doing?”, “do they have enough food?”, or “what can we do to help them?”, act as the catalyst for larger discussions about the environment, biodiversity, food systems, and more.

STEP 2: LOVE ALL BEES

Honey bees have a habit of hogging the attention – and for good reasons! -, but wild bees (bee species that often live alone and don’t produce honey) need our help just as much. Let’s spread the love! A hotel for bees can help conserve their habitat and shine the spotlight on these essential pollinators.

By installing an observational bee hotel on your property, you’re giving solitary wild bees a safe place to lay their eggs and lifting the curtain on these hard-working creatures who often go unnoticed.

STEP 3: TRACK THE IMPACT

If you want to know an incredible amount of information about the world around you, just ask a bee. Honey bees collect data from every flower they pollinate, up to 3 miles (5 km) away from their hive. By studying this data, we can learn if the bees are healthy, if they have enough food, and which flowering plants should be added to their diet to increase their chances of survival.

What is biomonitoring?
Biomonitoring is a way of assessing the environment by analyzing plants or animals. Because bees fly, forage, and drink within a 3 mile (5 km) radius of their hive, they act as tiny data collectors, making them an excellent indicator of the level of biodiversity in their environment.

All of this information will be put to good use:

• We’ll make custom planting recommendations, which properties can use to grow their own bee-friendly gardens.
• Thanks to seasonal environmental reports, organizations can track the impact of their green initiatives year over year.
• The data will also contribute to global research advocating for the protection of all pollinators.

STEP 4: CULTIVATE CHANGE

The most direct action anyone can take to support pollinators: plant more bee-friendly flowers. We’ll work with properties to install and maintain custom rooftop flower gardens to ensure the bees have nearby, high quality food resources. It’s a win for biodiversity as well as the community members who get to enjoy the beautiful blooms.