The Santropol Roulant Beekeeping Collective is a non-hierarchical group of volunteers with the values of care and self-directed learning that looks after the 2-3 hives of honeybees (Apis Mellifera) nestled in a corner of the rooftop garden at Santropol Roulant.
This summer, 20 passionate members have been looking after the Rose and Tournesol hives (distinguishable by the designs hand-painted on their roofs), meeting once a week to talk about the health of the bee colonies, discuss upcoming interventions, or connect over a potluck!
Hive interventions take place every 10 to 14 days and have a specific purpose: partial checks to see if the queen is bridging, if there’s any honey to be collected or to keep an eye on the number of varroa mites (dangerous parasites) in the hives; complete checks are intended to assess the general state of the hive.
A difficult start to the summer saw the loss of queens (fatal for one hive) and the need to merge two hives (as one was too weak). Since then, the health of the hives seems to have stabilised but with a noted delay in honey production. It’s highly likely that there won’t be any summer honey this year, but the collective remains optimistic about extracting autumn honey.
If you’re curious about beekeeping and would like to join the collective, sign up for the Beekeeping Collective newsletter to catch the recruitment announcement in January or February.
We hope to see you!
The Beekeeping collective