That Vienna is a green city in many regards, should have become clear with our blog series “Sustainable en route in Vienna”. But did you know that about 200 million bees from more than 5.000 colonies are bustling about here during summer?
The Viennese City Bees
Kategorie:
Nature,
Good living conditions
Vienna’s numerous meadows, flowers and trees in parks, gardens, avenues, on balconies and greened rooftops provide the ideal habitat for bees with their versatile and consistent supply of food. Moreover, it stays warm longer in the city than on the countryside and there are scarcely pesticides utilised here. Hence, it is no wonder that more and more of these useful insects settle down in Austria’s capital city, sometimes even in very prominent places. For instance, you can find beehives on the roof of the Vienna State Opera and of the town hall or at the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.
In order to support this extraordinary development amidst the general bee deaths, the “Stadtimker” (city beekeepers) have specialised on the demands of urban bees. The association attempts at creating further habitats for wild and honey bees and depends on your support in this mission. Committed citizens can either donate money or supply their rooftops, balconies and unused garages as stand for the bee colonies. Aside from that, you can purchase insect hotels or high-quality organic city honey which is particularly aromatic due to its multiplex pollen mixture of the different regions of Vienna in the online shop of the “Stadtimker”.
Even more city honey
The Bio-Bezirksimkerei Wien distributes honey as well, consisting of the bloom nectar of a whole season from the particular districts of Vienna, everyone a unicum with its own special note. Also Wald und Wiese offers propolis bonbons, honey bears, beeswax candles, cosmetics, honey waffles and many more from the produce of the city bees in altogether four branches in Vienna. Fancy cream and spiced kinds of honey like apfelstrudel or poppy-lemon can be found in the online shop of Wiener Honig and in many other shops throughout the city. The Bio-Imkerei Honigstadt draws its nectar from the westside of Vienna at the Schwarzenbergpark, the Pötzleinsdorfer castle grounds and the foot of Rax and Schneeberg.
Also on our lavender roof at the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle which is in full bloom every year in June, the bees feel quite comfortable. Why not stopping by in spring and getting enchanted by the fragrance and the humming of the insects?