Acting in Favor of the Honeybee

Bees actively contribute to the pollination of plants whose fruits we consume daily. In France, around 70% of the 6,000 plant species recorded, both wild and cultivated, are pollinated by pollinating insects, and some plants are entirely dependent on them.

The Charlois Group wanted to reintroduce beehives at Murlin, in close proximity to the Bertranges Forest.

To successfully carry out this project, the group enlisted Sébastien Guillerand (Abeilles et Découvertes), a beekeeper based in Poiseux, to set up 10 swarms in 10 oak hives on the municipality’s territory. This supports the local initiative, the protection of the species, and the development of colonies through artificial swarming and the collection of natural swarms

Sébastien Guillerand also offers beekeeping workshops, during which he introduces the honeybee, the functioning of a hive, and the honey harvesting process. Participants learn, for example, how to properly identify a bee (noticing small visible hairs, the color of the stripes, and the widened posterior tibia), the various tasks a worker bee performs throughout its life (cleaning cells, nursing, building, storing, ventilating, guarding, and foraging), as well as the bee’s communication methods.

Using the Nasanov gland, the bee emits grouping pheromones that attract other bees from the swarm, bringing them together. The bee’s dance, on the other hand, signals to foragers the direction and distance they need to travel to reach a densely flowered area

The Charlois Group has also planted numerous flowers in the municipality to diversify nectar and pollen sources. Such actions can be carried out by each of us in our own garden or on our balcony to help the bees produce the honey they need to survive.

Photographs : © Christophe Deschanel

*It is important to note that bees are currently threatened by chemicals, the lack of natural habitats, and the evolution of agriculture.

**Bees cover a foraging radius of about 3 kilometers around their hive and must visit hundreds of thousands of flowers to produce 1 kilogram of honey; on average, a bee produces 1 gram of honey in its lifetime.