Builders of society on Skanska office roofs
You can find them on the roof at Skanska's offices in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, enjoying life and producing delicious honey. As hardworking builders of today's society, the honey bees and Skanska have a lot of things in common.
But not everything is as it should be. Due to the many consequences of climate change, this year's unstable weather has had a negative impact on bee populations and their communities.
Skanska's own beekeepers (in Stockholm and Malmö), Bee Urban, who make sure the beehives on our office roofs are well looked after, have seen a substantial reduction in this year's honey crop, compared to last year.
Less honey due to cold summer weather
Honey bees need to visit approximately one to four million flowers in order to produce one kilo of honey, but flowers are currently not producing enough nectar, which is the very raw material for honey. This has caused a great deal of problems for the bee communities in Sweden. This is reflected by difficulties in honey production.
Honey bees are in fact just like you and I; when it comes to cold and rainy summer days, they rather stay at home, inside. Honey bees spend winters in large communities where they build up their supply of honey, their winter fodder, which is then harvested by humans. Climate change therefore puts extra pressure on beekeepers and their ability to be innovative and able to help the bees with the challenges they face.
Honey more valuable than ever
As a consequence of this year's difficulties, we will see a smaller and more exclusive supply of honey than usual. The honey drops, both healthy and appreciated, have certainly never been more valuable.
