Toyota: Giving a Buzz ‘bout Bees
Weather warms and bees buzz, a sure sign they’re getting down to business … pollinating the plant populace. And as the top population handling this serious undertaking, they’re getting a hand from Toyota.
In Georgetown, Kentucky, honeybees wander down Cherry Blossom Way to the walls of a building at Toyota’s plant. Swarms of these pollinators are a potential safety issue, but Toyota eliminates concerns by establishing on-site hives each spring.
The plant has successfully established 10 hives since 2010, resulting in more than 85,000 happy honeybees. Beyond the bees getting a new home, the facility’s garden yields go up. The plant also gifts more than 100 pounds of Cherry Blossom Honey to visitors. Sweet!
A nice byproduct of the buzz? In 2011, the Wildlife Habitat Council and North American Pollinator Protection Campaign recognized the plant’s efforts with the Pollinator Protection Award.
Toyota’s parts distribution center in New Jersey is also abuzz helping bees. Thanks to their recent donation, the Montclair Historical Society has two new honeybee hives to pollinate its working farm and gardens. The hard working bees in each hive collect around 66 pounds of pollen per year, according to Bee Bold Apiaries, the organization that maintains the Montclair hives. That pollen helps ensure the farm yields a healthy crop for those in need; all food grown there goes to feed low income families in the area.
