My name is Céline Locqueville, founder of the Petites Ruches association, and author of the book ‘Ruches refuges’ published in 2020 by Ulmer editions. With the members of the association, we have this year launched a new project “Hives refuges in the trees”. We have 10 years of experience with refuge hives, and have created many forms, with various materials, and animated many formations.
The beehives are built by two young craftsmen, Manon and Antoine, in their workshop from central France, with local wood from the Morvan mountains. They will be placed in high in the trees, in the different regions of France. We have many contacts with owners of forest plots, municipalities, regional parks, associations. The first beehive will be installed in spring 2021, away from field crops, to provide bees with a healthy environment and abundant flowering. Their honey will never be harvested. Bees will consume it for food and warmth in winter. It is very important that they regain full freedom of their actions, and that they eat their honey and their pollen, from the flowers they choose to visit day after day for their nutritional quality.
This project is funded by the copyright of my book 'Hives refuges', and by donations that everyone can do on this page of the association's website:
https://petitesruches.fr/spip.php?article105. We are committed to carrying out detailed reports of the installation of the hives (photos and videos), on this page of the site. We are happy to participate in this rewilding movement which lots of enthusiasm all over the world!