Maribor Police Department invites bees to settle on its roof

The move is aimed at boosting biodiversity, plus it honours a respected local tradition

The City of Maribor is getting accustomed to the term “police bees” as yesterday (11 April), the local Police Department unveiled four beehives on its roof and the first insects flew in search of pollen from there.

These are considered to be the first bees in Slovenia hosted by a law enforcement department, however, it all makes sense in a way given that beekeeping is a time-honoured tradition in that region of the country.

The unveiling of the bee colonies was accompanied by a police brass band, so it had a very formal atmosphere about it.

No news on when the first police honey will be ready, though

The bees will have good access to the Maribor City Park, and will help to boost the biodiversity of the green areas of Slovenia’s second-largest city.

The Maribor Police Department noted that bees are no longer just a common sight in meadows, but are very much welcome in the cities.

They make their home on the roofs, terraces, balconies and gardens of public and private buildings, and abroad on the roofs of police organisations, so we decided to invite four bee colonies to our rooftop," they said, as quoted by Slovenia Times.

Also involved in the project was the Alojz Greif Hoče Beekeeping Association, whose members helped make the beehive and contributed material and their expertise.

This honey story is much more than just an act of social responsibility for Maribor police officers," said Maribor Police Department director Donald Rus, a beekeeper himself.

He added:

Bees teach us about cooperation and mutual help, values that have brought together the police department’s employees, our retired colleagues, family members and members of professional organisations.”

Now, the only thing left to do is await the production of the first official police honey.