Wirtschaftsforum: What economic incentive do companies have to invest in biodiversity and saving bees?

Dieter Schimanski: The economic factor is not the central reason for our clients to work with us. But because almost every one of us is confronted with the topic of sustainability on a daily basis and is actively dealing with it, virtually every company strives to engage in ecological efforts. Most firms have been thinking intensively for a long time about how they can save electricity and water, they try to print as few emails as possible, and from a certain size, they also employ environmental officers. Many companies then also consider investing in sustainability that not only concerns their primary business area but also allows them to profile themselves both internally to their employees and externally to their customers and suppliers. In doing so, companies often underestimate the great appeal their ecological ambition can have.

An example: When we recently set up a beehive at a client's location, where about 200 employees work, the CEO came to me fifteen minutes before the handover and asked me to give a short speech. He had informed the employees and a good dozen would certainly come to attend the event. In the end, half the workforce didn't want to miss it, and more than 100 came. This clearly shows the interest bees generate, because they have many facets that we can also relate to humans. This interests the companies – and moreover, they receive honey once a year, which they can give away to their suppliers, customers, and employees to further document their sustainability.

Wirtschaftsforum: In the USA and Australia, where renting out bee colonies is already an established business model, this 'migratory beekeeping' is also considered a cause for the sudden collapse of entire bee colonies. What precautions does Bee-Rent take to prevent these negative impacts?

Dieter Schimanski: We have nothing to do with this type of beekeeping. In the USA, there are beekeepers and apiarists who operate with massive volumes of 10,000 to 15,000 bee colonies and move them a little further on trucks every few weeks through the climate zone to follow the almond bloom. This is absolute factory farming and pure stress for the bees.

Bee-Rent takes a completely different approach: We do not rent bees to large enterprises that have square kilometers of almond trees somewhere, which are furthermore not native to Europe. With us, customers rent, for example, forty bee colonies, which are then placed at forty locations in Germany. This decentralization is optimal for nature, the bee, and pollination. Our primary goal is not to push the bees to their performance limit, as is the case with 'migratory beekeeping' in America. The focus is on beekeeping and sustainability. Our customers use our service for many years, and during this entire time the location remains the same for the respective colonies. No other beekeeper operates this way.

Wirtschaftsforum: Renting bee colonies requires a high effort and about a dozen beekeeper visits to the customer per year. Yet, you offer your service starting from 179 EUR per month. How can Bee-Rent be sustainable not only ecologically but also economically under these conditions?

Dieter Schimanski: Yes, we have to visit the bees relatively often, but it usually remains a very short visit to check things out or quickly administer a treatment. Thus, we can visit up to 20 bee colonies in one day. Of course, this is a huge cost factor for us. However, we considered this from the start and have come to the conclusion in our initial calculations that it works economically – not only for us but also for the beekeepers: In traditional beekeeping, you need to visit your bees even more frequently and the only revenue you have then is from the honey, which only accounts for a third of the revenue that Bee-Rent offers. That is why we already have 25 franchisees in Germany, including experienced professional beekeepers who see a future in working with us, whereas with traditional beekeeping they can hardly cover their costs anymore. They want to do nothing else.

Wirtschaftsforum: Almost everywhere in Europe, ecologically ambitious parties are breaking one election record after another. What specific measures do you want from politics to preserve biodiversity and counteract the decline of bees?

Dieter Schimanski: Politically, a lot could be done effectively at the state and local level. Municipal green spaces, public green belts, and roundabouts offer hectares of opportunities to plant them in a bee-friendly way and then not to mow them for half a year. If we were to design these areas nationwide in a consistently bee-friendly manner, it would be a huge success. At the same time, we certainly need to continue sharpening people's awareness of what each individual can do to help the insects. This can only be a part of a sustainability package though. Anyone who has a garden or a woodland plot can plant native species that provide flowers and nectar, or leave dead wood where solitary bees could create nesting sites. Insect hotels are also a nice contribution.

Interview: Julian Miller | Photos: Bee-Rent GmbH

Traditionally, you can hardly make any money with bees in Europe. Selling honey and wax is not a particularly lucrative business for most, which is why only one in 100 beekeepers in Germany is a professional beekeeper. Therefore, a concept was needed to make beekeeping sexy. And when is something sexy? - When you can make money with it. We wanted to make bees attractive to companies and offer them the opportunity to rent bee colonies, do something good and receive their own honey once a year.