Rooftops Abuzz With Beekeeping In Paris

Common sense says it is better to keep hives of stinging insects in the countryside, away from city centers packed with people. Yet on storied rooftops and public gardens in the urban jungle of Paris, the bee business is thriving.

Bees are disappearing from fields across France and elsewhere in the world, victims of a slow decline in number because of loss of habitat compounded by a recent and mysterious catastrophe variously blamed on disease, parasites and pesticides. The most recent science research points to a combination of interacting diseases for new collapses of bee colonies.

But in the heart of the French capital, Nicolas Geant is preparing to sell off his honey. It comes from hives on the edges of the soaring glass roof of the Grand Palais exhibition hall, just off the Champs-Elysees.

“Paris has many balconies, parks and avenues full of trees and little flowers that attract many bees for pollination,” said Geant, who has 25 years of experience under his belt.

The Grand Palais beehives went up in May. They also sit in the Luxembourg Gardens, on the gilded dome of the 19th Century Palais Garnier and the roof of the ultramodern Opera Bastille.

“In Paris, each beehive produces a minimum of 50 to 60 kilograms (110 to 130 pounds) of honey per harvest, and the death rate of the colonies is 3 to 5 percent,” said Henri Clement, president of the National Union of French Beekeepers.

“But in the countryside, one beehive only gives you 10 to 20 kilograms (about 20 to 40 pounds) of honey, and the death rate is 30 to 40 percent. It is a sign of alarm.”

The Luxembourg Gardens’ hives alone produce more than half a ton of honey per harvest. It is sold to the public during the last weekend in September, and the income funds beekeeping classes and the facilities.

Alain Sandmeyer, 63, a volunteer instructor at the gardens, said trees and shrubbery have grown sparser in rural areas, attracting fewer bees. Also, he said, rural bees are dying off from pesticides and fertilizers. In Paris, on the other hand, pesticides are forbidden in all parks and gardens.

Urban beekeeping isn’t just a Paris thing. New York City on the other hand, lists bees as “venomous insects,” and beekeeping is punishable by a $2,000 fine.

Parisian Erin Langenburg, 24, a student, said the bees don’t bother her when she’s in Parisian parks, but they do tend to migrate to outdoor restaurants. “There seem to be a lot of bees when I’m eating outside on a terrace and they annoy me, especially when they get in my drinks,” she said. “I am kind of scared of getting stung by one.”

For many years bee experts worried about an aging population of beekeepers, but a new young generation has suddenly taken on the hobby, said May Berenbaum, head of the entomology department at the University of Illinois.

“There’s definitely been an incredibly heartening increase in interest,” Berenbaum said.

Domesticated bee populations worldwide have dropped significantly since the late 1940s. and Britain, according to an April report from the International Bee Research Association.

And lately the world has been hit by a new crisis, called colony collapse disorder. bees.

Wild bee populations have also plunged, with disease and loss of habitat being blamed. Last year, 30 percent of Europe’s 13.6 million beehives died, according to statistics from Apimondia, an international beekeeping body.

A conference last week in Montpellier, France was told that Ireland had a 53 percent drop in bees in 2006, Slovenia lost 30 to 35 percent of its bee colonies last year, and Italy 37 percent.

It’s not just about honey. Agriculture Department estimates a third of our diet comes from sources pollinated by insects, primarily bees. The French beekeepers’ union reckons 65 percent of agricultural plants worldwide risk not getting pollinated. has had to import huge numbers of bees from Australia to pollinate apple orchards and berry fields.

In the Luxembourg Gardens, beekeeping has been going on since 1856. Today, for around euro160 ($230), Parisians can spend several months learning about and participating in beekeeping and honey-extraction.

Volunteer instructor Dominique Castel, 64, has been giving all his free time to beekeeping at the gardens since retiring from his aviation industry job 12 years ago. Asked if he gets stung often, he shrugged and said: “You get used to it.”

My hero Albert E. said he calculated than IF the bee’s disappear humans have 4 years to live on earth. They are the central link pin in Agriculture. An Mansanso has done everything to get rid of them, I keep 2 hives in my yard in town i have a Super garden because of them. I have kept bees on large an small scale over my 70 yrs on planet earth. Believe me we need bees And yes i have been stung many times.

I do believe the little critters get to know a bee keeper. A summer bee lives about 6 weeks. Thanks for reading BIll

Bees are gentle creatures; when I lived next door to Hungarian witches their entire south facing wall was one enormous hive. In autumn they would swarm and as naturally occurs, thousands of bees didn’t make it back. They covered our walkways, literally, and we walked carefully around them wearing sandals and shorts, and were never stung. Finally the landlord discovered this hive and brought in beekeepers who relocated them to a non-urban environment. The honey harvest was massive, and everyone missed them. Our gardens were never again as productive.

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What Household Budget Percentage Breakdown Is Typical

The typical American household budget percentage breakdown looks like the list below. For most of the categories a range is shown. A range makes more sense to help you see where your personal budget fits (or doesn’t fit.) If your budget doesn’t fit the typical American household budget, rejoice! The average American household budget is jacked up – we carry too much debt and we just don’t save enough. We’re so worried about our neighbor’s new pool, our co-worker’s new car and our friend’s new designer shoes that we spend more than we earn to try and keep up. But take heart! Review the percentages below, compare your household budget and then read on to find out how you can move yourself into the elite minority of Americans who have mastered where their money goes.

Typical Household Budget Percentages

If your budget closely matches the above, here’s what you can do to fix that. Do these in order. Do not proceed to the next step until you’ve addressed the current step:

1. Just do it!

3. Cut back on your easy to identify, frivolous spending habits (3 dollar lattes, magazines, 450 extra satellite channels, etc.) If you’ve got some expensive habits you’ve wanted to quit for some time, now’s the time. For example, if you’re a hard-drinkin’, chain smokin’, coffee drinkin’ fool, you can reap a windfall of up to 7% or more of your income! Just cutting back to 2 drinks per day, only drinking coffee from home and quitting the cigarettes will net you a nice amount of extra cash and add years to your life! Refine your budget after eliminating what you can.

4. Reduce your 401K and other investment payments (if you have any) to the minimum allowable to keep your 401K and/or other investment accounts open. If your employer has a stock matching plan, keep that in addition to the minimum to keep your investments accounts open (but only up to the minimum you need to get all the matching money.) You’re going to reap a whole lot more return on paying off your debts than you can ever hope to reasonably get from traditional investments. If you’re paying into a college fund for your kids – keep doing that – if you’re not and you really want to, hold off until step 6. Refine your budget to reflect the extra income available, if any.

5. Build an emergency fund equal to 2% of your gross annual income. It should be a little hard to get to (like a separate checking account or mutual fund), but not too difficult (Certificate of Deposit.) Work this into your budget – it’s very important. You will not believe the amount of stress that will melt away when you do this.

6. Pay off your debts – everything except mortgages. And don’t just move your revolving debt into a second or third mortgage – that’s bad. Pay them off using a rapid debt paydown system like the Debt HammerTM. Pay off any student loans (for future reference, these are a bad idea.) Pay off your car(s) too. If you’re not upside down on a car loan (your car is worth more than you owe) you can sell it and get a cheaper, paid for car. Throw a small (inexpensive but fun) party for yourself and your loved ones every time you pay off a debt.

7. Take all the money you WERE spending to pay off your non-mortgage debt and start putting it into those investment accounts you put on idle. Make sure you’re investing at least 10% of your gross income. If you followed steps 1-4 exactly, you should have lots of breathing room in your budget now. If this is true and you want to invest more than 10%, go ahead, but be sure to reward yourself too and live a little. Grow your emergency fund to a level you’re comfortable with (2 or more months of income is a good start.) If you have young kids and you want to send them to college, start putting money into a college fund of your choice for them, if you haven’t already. Throw a bigger party than usual when this is done.

8. Pay off your mortgage and throw your biggest party yet! You can start towards this by refinancing to a single fixed rate mortgage (your credit should be in pretty good shape having paid off all your other debts.) If it’s a 30 year mortage, pay more than your monthly payment to dramatically lower the amount of interest you give to the bank. If it’s a 15 year fixed – wow! That’s excellent!

9. When you’re totally debt free, regularly give away whatever you think you can afford. It’s good for the soul!

Easy? Not. Worth it? Doing the above will pay dividends in your life in many more ways than just dollars and cents. You will assure yourself a dignified and financially secure retirement. Do this well and you will also build a way for your kids and your grandkids to enjoy prosperous lives, and they will remember you with fondness and respect long after you’ve moved on to the other side. Now get started!

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