Friday, June 7, 2013

Sea-Tac Airport installs honeybee hives

Sea-Tac Airport has installed 500,000 honeybees—six hives at three vacant undeveloped sites near the airfield—in order to promote hardy bee populations. The "Flight Path" project developed through a partnership between the Port of Seattle and the nonprofit The Common Acre. 

Honeybees pollinate approximately one third of all U.S. crops that humans eat and three quarters of all of the flowering plants in the world. With open space around the airfield and bee populations in decline, the airport is uniquely suited for an apiary. The long-term goal is to promote robust bee populations in the area by increasing their genetic diversity and supporting them with adequate habitat. 

"As a leader in sustainability, we are pleased to become one of the first airports in the U.S. to host bees," said Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant. "Bees are a critical part of the food chain and connect with our goal of growing sustainably and increasing the economic contributions of the port while reducing our environmental footprint."

In the face of the massive national and regional decline of bees, the program will contribute to the number of healthy bees in the region. The project will raise and select for the highest quality queen bees to help strengthen hive health for other beekeepers in western Washington.

"We're excited to work with the Port of Seattle to support pollinator health," said Bob Redmond, director of The Common Acre and lead beekeeper for Flight Path. "This project is a poster child for land stewardship: the habitat, the bees, and our food system all benefit. The port's leadership is exemplary — I hope Flight Path becomes a model for other projects in the region and nationwide."

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