Bees houses to be built on the roof of Gdynia City Hall

It will now be possible to breed bees outside agricultural areas in the Polish city

With a modification to the relevant legislation from March this year, municipal councilors in Gdynia have allowed the breeding of bees in the city. As the regulation comes into force, the city's local government has decided to set a good example by breeding bees on the roof of the main building of the Town Hall on Piłsudski Street. Thus, very soon the municipal building will become home to four bee families. Beehives will be looked after by a beekeeper associated to the Provincial Union of Beekeepers in Gdańsk.

On this occasion, Michał Guć, Vice-president for Innovation, assured that the presence of bees will positively affect the greenery of the city, as other modern metropolises such as London, Berlin and Copenhagen have already discovered. By putting beehives on the City Hall building, the authorities want to encourage residents to take similar action.

Located near the City Hall, green areas along Piłsudski Street and nearby Kamienna Góra create the perfect conditions for breeding bees as there are many of the helpful insects' favourite plants - all great sources of nectar and pollen. Beehives on the roof of the City Hall are expected to contribute to popularizing the importance of bees for the natural environment, which are an inherent and very important part of the ecosystem and to encourage residents to set up their own apiaries.

Under the new regulations, it will be possible to have up to 8 swarms of honeybees on a property within the city limits. Apiaries should be located at a reasonable distance from the buildings of the neighboring property or - in the case of constructions placed on roofs - windows located on the same or lower floors. In both cases, a gap of at least 15 meters should be maintained.

In order to minimize the concerns and risks associated with bee stings, only insect lines and species permitted in the Pomeranian Voivodship will be allowed.

Discover more about this interesting initiative from the City of Gdynia.