A Swiss beekeeper has said she is “terrified” by the ongoing decrease in biodiversity.
Mirjam Lendenmann is a chef at the staff restaurant of the Migros cooperative in Zurich. The 36-year-old also manages hives on the eatery’s roof as well as in the small town of Hendschiken where she and her husband Stephan run their Bee Happy apiary.
Speaking about the condition the environment is currently in, the 36-year-old admitted: “I’m terrified by the scale at which biodiversity is declining.”
Mirjam added: “At night, there are hardly any insects buzzing around. We might consider this as a positive thing. However, it will turn out to be a huge problem for mankind.”
The chef and apiarist explained: “If insect populations dwindle, fewer blossoms are being pollinated. This leads to an immense decline in food production. There’ll be less food on our dinner tables.”
The United Nations recently warned that almost 35 per cent of invertebrate pollinators such as bees and butterflies were at risk of becoming extinct.
Mirjam said the honey she is harvesting at her Zurich rooftop apiary is often an essential ingredient of many dishes on the canteen’s menu.
Reflecting on the beginning of her city-centre beekeeping endeavour, Mirjam said: “Around seven years ago I asked my boss whether I could install some hives on the roof. He said yes.”
Asked to describe the situation of honeybees in urban areas, Mirjam explained: “In cities, the pesticide level is much lower than in the countryside. Bees are finding more nectar. Exhaust fumes don’t bother them.”
