Bees and France have a long history together. In the 1800s, Napoleon Bonaparte chose the bee as a symbol of France. In the same century, in 1845, the beekeeping school of Luxembourg Gardens in Paris was started. At that time there were around 2,000 beehives in the city. After that the numbers went down for some time, but beekeeping has become popular again recently. Now there are over 700 hives in Paris. Some of these hives are actually on the roofs of famous Parisian buildings and hotels and restaurants.
City bees make three to five times more honey than country bees. This may be because there are no pesticides in the parks and gardens in Paris. French beekeepers in the countryside lose up to 40 percent of their hives each year because of disease, pesticides, and other causes. However, beekeepers in the city lose less than five percent.
"That's interesting," "you might be thinking, "but isn't there a lot of pollution in Paris?" In fact, pollution does not seem to influence the honey. Parisian honey was tested for 30 kinds of pollution and none were found.
As for the taste, Parisian bees have many kinds of flowers and plants to choose from. In the countryside, however, there is usually only one type of plant. The flowers in Paris give the honey a special taste. But Parisian honey is quite expensive. One pound costs about USD 65.
Beekeepers in Paris face some small problems. For example, if there are too many hives in one area, the bees might not have enough food. So beekeepers must work together and spread out their hives. Another problem is bees in restaurants. One beekeeper had to take his hives away from the roof of a restaurant after his bees started drinking from the flowers indoors. However, technology can be used to check on the hives, with cameras and microphones.
Paris isn't the only city with beehives on its roofs these days. Berlin, Tokyo, London, Washington D.C., and San Francisco also have beehives. So, the next time you're in these cities, look around for some local honey.
