For 25 years, Hamburg Airport has been home to bee colonies on its premises that not only produce honey but also monitor air quality as “biodetectives”.

The project, which originally began with honey bees, was expanded ten years ago to include a wild bee project, which was launched in collaboration with the German Wildlife Foundation. The aim is to provide more habitat for the endangered wild bee species. In recent years, the airport has implemented numerous measures to make the site more bee-friendly. These include sowing native wildflowers, creating nesting sites and building wild bee hotels. These initiatives are part of efforts to support the ecological balance in the region.

Regular tests of the honey by independent laboratories always produced flawless results. The airport honey, which is not sold but given away on special occasions, meets the strict requirements of the German Honey Ordinance and the guidelines of the German Beekeepers’ Association. Wild bees, which play a key role in pollinating flowering plants, are particularly benefiting from the expanded protective measures on the airport premises. The project at Hamburg Airport is considered a pioneer and has now been imitated at other airports.