Interview: beekeeping on city rooftops

Summary

AI on this phone · offline

Overview

All participants

• SaraJournalist28 % of the time
• JonasBeekeeper72 % of the time

Questions

• Check the figure of about 15 kg per good hive before publishing. 02:02›
• Follow up: how many hives a neighbourhood can support. 03:18›03:27›

Generated by AI on this phone. Check figures and names.

Key points

1. Jonas keeps six hives on this roof and four on a library nearby. 00:14›
2. Cities offer flowers from March to October; farmland often has one short bloom. 00:36›00:57›
3. A good hive gave about 15 kg of honey last year; he always leaves the bees their winter stores. 02:02›02:21›
4. Too many hives hurt wild bees: plant flowers first, keep hives later. 03:27›03:46›04:12›
5. Leave dry stems in the garden in autumn: many wild bees winter in them. 04:34›

Generated by AI on this phone. Check figures and names.

Tasks

2 tasks

• Send photos of the hives

  Jonastonight05:52›

• Send Jonas his quotes to check

  Saraby Thursday06:00›

Generated by AI on this phone. Check figures and names.

Chapters

5 chapters

1. 00:00Ten hives on two roofs01:12
2. 01:12How it started00:42
3. 01:54Honey and neighbours01:24
4. 03:18Too many hives?00:45
5. 04:03Advice for readers and closing02:13

Generated by AI on this phone. Check figures and names.

Transcript

1. 00:00

   SaraJournalist

   Thanks for having me up here. Can you start by telling me how many hives you keep on this roof?

2. 00:14

   JonasBeekeeper

   Six on this roof, and four more on the library two streets away.

3. 00:26

   SaraJournalist

   Why a roof? Most people imagine bees in the countryside.

4. 00:36

   JonasBeekeeper

   Cities are surprisingly good for bees. Parks, balconies and street trees flower one after another, from March to October.

5. 00:57

   In the countryside you often have one big crop that flowers for three weeks, and then nothing.

6. 01:12

   SaraJournalist

   How did you start?

7. 01:16

   JonasBeekeeper

   Eight years ago, with one hive and a course at the community garden. I lost that first colony in the winter.

8. 01:36

   It taught me more than the course did: I hadn't left them enough honey to get through the cold.

9. 01:54

   SaraJournalist

   How much honey does a city hive give?

10. 02:02

    JonasBeekeeper

    It varies a lot. Last year a good hive gave me about fifteen kilos; a weak one, almost nothing.

11. 02:21

    And I never take everything. The bees need their stores for the winter.

12. 02:32

    SaraJournalist

    Some people worry about stings. What do the neighbours say?

13. 02:42

    JonasBeekeeper

    At first there were questions. Now they ask when the next jar is ready.

14. 02:56

    On a roof the bees fly up and away, above people's heads. And honeybees aren't interested in your lunch; that's usually wasps.

15. 03:18

    SaraJournalist

    Is there such a thing as too many hives in a city?

16. 03:27

    JonasBeekeeper

    Yes, and we need to talk about it. Honeybees compete with wild bees for the same flowers.

17. 03:46

    If everyone puts hives on their roof but nobody plants flowers, the wild species lose.

18. 04:03

    SaraJournalist

    So what would you tell a reader who wants to help bees?

19. 04:12

    JonasBeekeeper

    Plant first, keep hives later. A window box with herbs that flower, like thyme, lavender or rosemary, already helps.

20. 04:34

    And don't tidy your garden too much in autumn. Many wild bees spend the winter in dry stems.

21. 04:52

    SaraJournalist

    Do you sell the honey?

22. 04:58

    JonasBeekeeper

    A little, at the Saturday market. Most of it goes to the neighbours who let me use their roofs.

23. 05:16

    SaraJournalist

    Last question: what's the best moment of the year up here?

24. 05:26

    JonasBeekeeper

    The first warm day in March, when they all come out at once. After eight years it still makes me smile.

25. 05:44

    SaraJournalist

    Could you send me a couple of photos of the hives for the article?

26. 05:52

    JonasBeekeeper

    Of course, I'll send them tonight.

27. 06:00

    SaraJournalist

    Great. I'll send you your quotes to check before we go to print, by Thursday. Thank you, Jonas.