Two beehives have been installed on the roof of the Police and Border Guard Board in Tallinn. In total, there are 28 registered beehives in the capital and half of them are on rooftops.
There are approximately 40,000 bees in the hives on the PPA’s roof next to Pärnu mantee but this number could grow to 100,000 by summer, ETV’s “Aktuaalne kaamera” reported on Monday.
Kristjan-Jaak Nuudi, PPA senior communication specialist and beekeeper, said honey can be collected around Midsummer’s Day but it depends on the weather.
Nuudi said the bees were introduced so their honey could be given as gifts to visitors and work partners. Researchers will also use their honey to help compile the “fingerprint” of Estonian honey.
“The University of Life Sciences will start taking samples from all over Estonia, 40 beehives, from which honey samples will be taken three times a year for three years, then an Estonian honey fingerprint will be created. The honey fingerprint is to prevent counterfeits, honey counterfeits,” Nuudi said.
Although the bees have been placed by a busy road, the bees have enough places to visit, Erki Naumanis, a member of the board of the Tallinn Beekeepers’ Association, said.
“In fact, Tallinn is a very green city and we have a lot of parks and a lot of flowering plants and trees,” said Naumanis. “Bees usually filter out heavy metal particles from their bodies, but we will be able to see the purity in the autumn when honey is tested in the laboratory.”
Source: ERR