12 December 2019 - BEEKEEPING SCHOOL IN PARIS

BEEKEEPING SCHOOL IN PARIS

G'day folks,

Paris as you know, is like a jewel box, hiding endless little gems; another of which I’m going to share with you today, nestled in the iconic Jardin du Luxembourg. 

Begin by finding the south west entrance to the gardens on Rue d’Assas, near Hemingway’s old stomping grounds, and turn right into the fruit orchard where over a thousand trees have been planted by Le Conservatoire National des Pommes et des Poires (there are 379 varieties of apples and 247 varieties of pears growing here; some extremely rare, even biblical cultivars). Choose the path veering off to the left in between the fruit tree paddocks and you’ll soon begin to hear the distinct sound of buzzing bees. You have found the one and only Paris Beekeeping School.

Nearly a million bees are foraging around the seventeen hives of the Rucher du Luxembourg (rucher meaning apiary). Each year they produce about 450 pounds of honey, which is collected and sold every Autumn at the Orangerie du Luxembourg, just a few minutes walk up the garden path.

The 19th century pavilion with its surrounding wooden hives is a charming site to stumble upon, particularly when the beekeepers are out tending to the apiary. But if your curiosity goes a little further, perhaps you might be interested in becoming a Parisian beekeeper.

The first beekeeping school in Paris began with the creation of the Beekeeping Society back in 1856, founded by a librarian and teacher by the name of Henri Hamet. He is considered as the “father of French beekeeping”. His apiary accommodated up to twenty bee colonies and he pretty much wrote the handbook on beekeeping, which has been republished 10 times since his death. 

Clancy's comment: Wow. Who would have known, eh?

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