Bee4Education: learning to preserve biodiversity with bees

Protecting biodiversity is an integral part of our strategy. We have long been at the forefront of safeguarding biological diversity by promoting numerous projects to monitor and protect the habitats of various animal and plant species that help counteract one of the negative effects of climate change.

A natural tool for monitoring the vitality of an area is represented by pollinating insects, such as bees, which play an important role in plant reproduction: following their activity therefore makes it possible to measure the “health status” of the area in which they live, in order to also protect its biodiversity. This is the background to the Bee4Education pilot project, launched at the Centro di Formazione e Addestramento (CFA) in L'Aquila, which aims to promote sustainability education and training for children and young people between the ages of 6 and 18. The project, conducted with research institutes and universities, is realised in cooperation with Beeing, a start-up company that has developed an innovative transparent beehive called B-BOX, which enables the safe observation of the complex world of bees without disturbing them. These hives are also equipped with sensors for the remote monitoring of insect health.

The project

"Science teaches us how crucial bees and other pollinating insects are for plant reproduction and the survival of many species on Earth," comments Filippo Rodriguez, Head of Sustainability, "but also as sentinels of environmental health. We are proud to have initiated this project that puts quality education at the centre, in line with the UN's fourth Sustainable Development Goal.

The initiative, aimed at elementary, middle and high schools in the L'Aquila area (for a total of around 250 students involved), provided for the installation of an apiary with five hives, including two transparent B-BOXes, at the CFA. And not only that: planting was carried out with the aim of increasing the availability of fresh flowers for the bees.

From May until October, six training days were held for local schools, with the aim of raising biodiversity awareness among young people and bringing them closer to the world of pollinating insects, revealing their key role in the natural system.

But the purpose of the initiative goes beyond this: it was also an opportunity to offer students an immersive experience on energy-related topics such as energy transition, renewable sources and smart grids, stimulating older students in particular to look with greater interest and curiosity at the world of green jobs for their professional future.

The meetings were structured into a theoretical part in the classroom and a practical part, in which the students were able to observe the activities of the bees up close, and to understand their role in the natural ecosystem.

To complete the initiative, periodic honey samples were taken and analysed in the laboratory to check the quality of the air in the bees' environment.

Future developments

In the future, the project may lead to the installation of apiaries at other Group sites in many Italian regions, giving local schools the opportunity to participate in the proposed educational activities. Other important developments are related to the enrichment of biodiversity, with the installation of beehives and insect nests (remotely monitored by digital sensors) and through agreements with partners and local authorities for the construction of urban beehives that can directly involve citizens, also contributing to the development of sustainable tourism.