Gorazd Trušnovec is the president of the Urban Beekeeping Society, an association of individuals engaged in beekeeping, apitourism, environmental protection and related fields in Slovenia. The society made it its mission, among other things, to rejuvenate the age structure of beekeepers and to improve information in terms of raising awareness of the importance of a healthy living environment, of which bees are indicators.
Ahead of World Bee Day, he agreed to a short interview.
What is the purpose of your society and its mission?
The purpose of the Urban Beekeeping Society is to bring together individuals and institutions engaged in beekeeping, tourism, environmental protection, agriculture, biotechnology, culture, architecture and design, and related fields in Ljubljana, Slovenia and beyond. We endeavour to act in a cross-disciplinary fashion and seek solutions for the protection and development of the urban environment, greater biodiversity and environmental awareness, reducing our carbon footprint and shortening nutritional pathways, and for improving the quality of life in general.
Recently we have been increasingly focused on various ways of training practising beekeepers, given that we all have to adapt to changing climate conditions and unpredictable weather. Our mission is also to rejuvenate the age structure of beekeepers and improve public information in terms of raising awareness of the importance of a healthy living environment, of which bees are indicators.
How many hives do you have?
Currently, I run 45 hives on 15 locations inside the Ljubljana ring road.
How did you come up with the idea of urban beekeeping and is urban beekeeping practised abroad?
For me personally, at the beginning this was not a programme, but it was born of necessity because I live in the centre of the city and have no rural property. Since I was really eager to work with bees, I installed the first two beehives on my balcony. In the first year, the hives remained empty because I was just learning the theory, but then the growth happened organically... Otherwise there are as many motivations for engaging in this activity as there are urban beekeepers – some decided to go for it out of the pure joy of being in contact with nature and some because they wanted to increase self-supply with honey and improve pollination in their own environment, some to promote a brand and so on. Urban beekeeping abroad is not something new at all, and the major metropolises of the world have known, supported and developed this business for decades.
How is urban beekeeping different from traditional beekeeping?
Urban beekeepers must in all respects follow the sectoral legislation, good practice guidelines, veterinary instructions and so forth. The approach as regards the biology of the bee family is just the same as for traditional beekeeping; the only difference perhaps is that our standing on terraces, rooftops and garages may seem a bit unusual! Otherwise experience shows that bees in cities thrive well. It’s also worth noting that urban beekeeping requires some additional knowledge and raises more concerns, in the first place because of the relative density of populated areas and because we share space with many city-dwellers – we want to avoid incidents and disturbances in the spring when the bees are swarming, which is a natural phenomenon and difficult to avoid completely.
How widespread is urban beekeeping in our country and how many urban beekeepers do we have?
Individual urban beekeepers have always been around and even architect Jože Plečnik, for example, erected a beehive in his garden in Trnovo a hundred years ago. However, until quite recently urban beekeeping was not an organised movement. In Slovenia, it has been gaining momentum and popularity in recent years. Our society currently has 42 members, but not all are from Ljubljana and not all keep bees. And vice versa – not all urban beekeepers are members of the society. In my estimation, there are some 100 beekeepers within the Ljubljana ring road, and in other larger Slovenian towns up to ten in each.
What types of honey are most often produced in cities and where in Slovenia is the practice of urban beekeeping most widespread?
The problem with urban honey, if it can be so called, is that because of the high levels of biodiversity in urbanised areas, it is difficult to make pure unifloral honey given that each street is planted with a different species of trees (although in Berlin, which is famous for its huge number of linden trees, the production of top-quality linden honey is possible) and there is also an abundance of individual plants. However, over time, my clients have become accustomed to this harmonious blend of tastes and are aware that we are dependent on the natural conditions of the year. The honey differs a little each year and each location in the city, even if just few streets apart, yields a different honey.
Practice shows that in Ljubljana we actually produce most of the honey that could be classified as forest honey, and for this we often win awards at competitions. In favourable spring conditions, floral honey can also be produced. My colleague Franc Petrovčič received a gold medal at Agra in 2018 for honey produced at the BTC commercial district, and, believe it or not, I personally managed to produce chestnut honey at one location in Šentvid, though it did have a definite note of lime!
Urban beekeeping in Slovenia is most widespread in Ljubljana, where the activity has been generally well received by residents and is looked on favourably by the municipal administration. I believe a smaller similar initiative has been launched in Celje. Recently I have been contacted by beekeepers from the Maribor Society who would like to put some hives in the centre of the Štajerska metropolis. According to the entries in the register of the Ministry of Culture, there are some individuals who keep some hives in their gardens in every major city.
Are prejudices about this type of beekeeping (poor air quality, environmental pollution, poor honey quality and so on) justified?
Recent research indicates that these prejudices are completely unjustified – in the winter larger cities do indeed have to deal with poor air quality, which is due to thermal inversion, the many furnaces and the increased traffic, but during this time the bees are not flying around and so are not in contact with the polluted air. In the main honey season, the nectar is not contaminated. Some new research also shows that problematic nanoparticles resulting from typical civilian activities do not harm bees at all. And last but not least, our honey and other products regularly take part in competitions and the analyses have so far shown flawless results.
What are the obstacles that beekeepers face in urban areas?
Probably the biggest obstacle is logistical – we are limited by space, both for the placement of the hives, which requires careful consideration, and for the storage of all the equipment and supplies needed for this activity (and many beginners do not anticipate this). The wishes of our closest neighbours, who may not be in favour of our activity, also need to be taken into account – good relations with our fellow residents come first! The underlying logic also says that beekeeping in cities will never be a commercially viable activity.
What are downsides of urban beekeeping?
We have to keep thinking about what the actual “spatial bearing capacity” of this activity is in order to avoid the overpopulation of bees and the resulting “domino effect” of hunger, outbreaks of disease and so on. Bees do contribute to better pollination and increase biodiversity in urban green spaces, but there should be no shortage of forage either for them or for other, complementary, pollinators, otherwise there can be negative long-term effects.
What is your advice to people who would like to take up beekeeping in urban areas but do not know how?
Recently we’ve been trying to convey the message that this is not an activity that can be pursued without putting in the effort, because of the responsibility to your bees, to the neighbouring beekeepers, with whom you are automatically connected, and to the environment in general. Anyone who cannot devote sufficient time to this and to continuing education, lacks adequate space, or, last but not least, has insufficient resources, is better advised to find another way of being friends with bees. In any case, networking with potential mentors, membership in societies and a great deal of education (but not via online forums) are welcome. Let me once again point out that urban beekeeping requires a lot of knowledge and care to ensure long-term successful coexistence and functioning!
6 March 2020 – Interview with Gorazd Trušnovec, worldbeeday.org
