The Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont polyclinic recently welcomed an urban hive on its roof which will eventually be inhabited by 50,000 to 70,000 new tenants in yellow and black stripes who will forage and pollinate the surrounding plants to produce honey, for the benefit of locals and the urban ecosystem.
Bees will be able to take advantage of the many flower-filled parks in the surrounding area, including the Botanical Garden and Maisonneuve Park, which makes it a prime location for beehives. It should be noted that bee populations are currently in decline, among other things due to the decrease in biodiversity and the presence of parasites.
The healthcare system consumes enough energy today to pay attention to its environmental footprint.
Sébastien Jordan, Property Management Coordinator at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Polyclinic
“Bees are essential for pollination. [Sans elles], there would be no fruits and vegetables, and there would be nothing at all, because they are the ones who shed the pollen. So, it will not only be used at the Hospital, it will ultimately be used for all of Rosemont since the bees forage within a radius of 3 to 5 km,” says Sébastien Jordan, property management coordinator at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont polyclinic.
“The health system consumes enough energy today to pay attention to its environmental footprint, explains the coordinator, adding that this is also a health issue. All environmental waste is one in six cancers. When I arrived, we weren’t taking care of that. It’s good to collect money [pour la fondation]but we need to improve this spirit [écologique]. I hope in the medium to long term that the polyclinic will become an environmental model, ”says the latter.
The know-how of beekeepers for the health of bees
The honey bees and their hive were installed by theAlvéole urban beekeeping companywhich already provides the installation and maintenance of hives on the roofs of a hundred companies or schools in the area.
“We make hives so that they are healthy and that people have fun being with the bees,” says Alvéole urban beekeeper Ananda Christophe.
In addition to providing gardeners with better pollination and contributing to better biodiversity in the city, Alvéole mainly aims to raise awareness of the essential role played by these buzzing pollinators.
“It’s really not an industrial beekeeping, we aim above all to educate”, she specifies, adding that if all businesses in Montreal can indeed accommodate hives, certain environmental characteristics are to be favored for a hive in health. “The ideal is a hive on the ground or on a low roof, far from the machines, because they feel the vibrations a lot. They are sun beings, and access to food within five kilometres. We have large parks in the city so we generally have what it takes, ”lists the beekeeper.
Delicious Rosemont honey for the hospital foundation
“We are going to have 100 kilos of honey. All the honey collected will be donated to the foundation,” says Sébastien Jordan, who specifies that she will use it for the moment as a personalized and locally made gift for the foundation’s major donors.
For the moment, the polyclinic has a beehive, but it could accommodate another in the future.
