Beehives were installed on the roof of Ülemiste Centre this spring. The first honey harvest has already been collected, said to be even more delicious than honey gathered from rural areas. Initially, six hives were placed on the roof, each housing 20,000 bees.
‘That’s about as many as the number of visitors to Ülemiste Centre every day,’ laughs Tiiu Nõmm, responsible for sustainable business practices at Ülemiste Centre. According to urban beekeeper Sander Noormägi, there are now even more bees on the same roof: six main colonies and four daughter colonies, each with around 50,000 bees.
The buckfast breed of bees, originating from Karusauna Farm in Väike-Maarja, which moved to the centre’s roof, are described as so calm that beekeepers can work near the hives without protective gear or smoke. Through crossbreeding, the best honey-producing traits from various lineages of buckfast bees have been combined, making them excellent foragers.
Our creative director Erik delved deeper into the process, resulting in a short film, of course:
