Bees are running the world.

A world without bees is inconceivable for our biodiversity and ultimately for our own survival.

Bees collect honey on an open honeycomb | mey®

Four bee colonies have a home at the company property in Albstadt (Germany).

The abstract term sustainability becomes very real and tangible when considering the current situation for bees. A world without bees is inconceivable for our biodiversity and ultimately for our own survival. The importance of bees is significant and pollination by bees is indispensable. In recent years, bees have become more and more of an indicator of our environment’s state of health. If bees are happy, so is nature and that means people are as well.

Beekeeper in white protective clothing takes a honeycomb frame from a beehive | mey®

A home for the bees

Things have been a bit more abuzz than usual on the company site in Albstadt (Germany) since April 2018. That is thanks to our sustainability project FRANZ (our company founder Franz Mey was a beekeeper), which we were able to dedicate to him on our 90th anniversary. The project was notably made possible thanks to the commitment from our bee custodian Paul Maier, who took a beekeeping course specifically for the project. With much devotion, Paul has created a home for our four bee colonies. Due to the low level of agriculture in the Albstadt area, there is virtually no crop spraying in the region – making it the ideal place for bees to live.

Our bee colonies live in Langstroth hives made of untreated wood on a nearby meadow that belongs to Dietmar Mey and have been busy collecting the nectar for their honey from the diverse variety of flowers on our company site.

The six beehives at mey are lined up in pairs on the meadow in Lautlingen, Germany | mey®

Nice to know:

Bees make a greater contribution to our nourishment and well-being than any other organism. Did you know that 80% of regional cultivated and wild plants, meaning roughly one third of our fruit and vegetables, depend on pollination by bees?Honey bees and wild bees are very important for flowers and shrubs. Many kinds of fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pears, apples, cherries and peaches, are particularly dependant on the work performed by bees. Vegetables like as cucumbers, pumpkins, peas and beans are only pollinated by bees. You can also give bees a hand. The first place to make a difference in sustainable development can be your balcony or windowsill. Window boxes can be planted almost anywhere.