Honey bee hive moving into Ajax library’s Reading Park for the summer

The Audley branch of the Ajax Library is hosting a bee hive for the summer to promote environmental literacy.

The beehive is owned and maintained by Alveole, a Montreal-based beekeeping firm. They installed the hive on June 14 and it will remain in the Audley Reading Garden until the middle of September. During that time a beekeeper will come by the library every three weeks to maintain the hive and answer questions from the public.

To support the colony, the Reading Garden will be filled with pollinator plants, vegetables and herbs. The hive will be home to between 50,000 and 80,000 bees. It will begin smaller and grow throughout the summer as new levels are added when the lower ones fill with honey.

These honeybees are docile by nature and will not sting unless they feel they or the hive is threatened. However, the library notes the bees should be left alone to perform their duties. Additionally, if anyone wants a closer look at the hive, they should approach from the back or sides.

The library stressed that bee and butterfly populations are in “rapid decline” around the world. This has created agricultural challenges as bees pollinate 130 crop varieties, one-third of global crops.