Not getting much attention, but bees and pollinators have always been

present in the city landscape. Now, with loss and pollution of rural habitat, cities might offer new home for some bee species.

This project joined the global movement of bee communities

conservation in urban areas starting with giving home to 72.000 bees on

the office roof. This first step of the Save the bees project was organized

with the support of hub Nova Iskra, ecological organization Ekonaut and the

Association of Beekeeping organizations in Serbia.

Objectives:

1. To produce, brand and sell Save the bees honey and use 100%

of those funds to build new urban bee hives and train people into

beekeeping

2. To exert pressure on the public before the law amendment proposal

was submitted in the National Assembly

3. Food for bees in the city: share honey grass plants at the Museum of

deceased nature event

Modern intensive agriculture led to the pesticide saturation in rural areas

and surprisingly urban areas become more pollinator-friendly.

The idea was to create first honey for sales that brings back to the bees by furthering urban beekeeping movement. Save the bees honey - the honey people use to build hives for bees in the city.

Yes, bees can find home in the city, providing they are given home: hives and food - plants.

By 2020 the first quantities of Save the bees

honey were produced and humanitarian sale of the honey arranged with the Association of beekeepers of Serbia.

The efforts diligently continue, as the saying goes busy as a bee - they

make honey every year and new hives grow.

The strategy was to showcase how people after millennia of harvesting can give the

honey back to the bees, how cities can be better participants in world

ecology, both people and cities behaving as the true ecosystem that we

are part of. This project called for and introduced the real change (law

amendments important for rural bee communities preservation, new

urban hives and beekeepers, cause branding - all creative materials

made available to The Serbian Association of Beekeepers for future use)

and its efforts for biodiversity are ongoing, since Save the bees honey is

produced and put into use every year.

It all started in 2019 by giving home to 72.000 bees on the office roof.

On June 5th 2019, on the occasion of the International Environment Day

press event dedicated to the bee protection and preservation was

organized. A day before law amendment proposal was submitted to the National Assembly.

On the same day experiential set-up Museum of Still Life 2119, giving a

view to the future that reflects consequences of problems we tackle, was

opened for press, but also for public. Organized tours frequented the

museum for 2 months.

In digital, #pchallenge was organized for people to buzz for the better

future. People were awarded with gardening gifts, to encourage

environment in which pollinators can feed in the city. Most creative

participants were awarded by fee bee-keeping course.

In 2020 aforementioned bees produced first quantities of Save the bees

honey.