Bee-keeping, Paris style

By Matthias Sander Sep 14, 2010, 12:51 GMT

Paris - Down below the cars zoom, up above the bees buzz. On the roof of the magnificent Garnier Opera House in the heart of Paris Jean Paucton is harvesting honey.

Paucton has sought out a very special and original location for his bee hives and he swears by the many exotic plants growing in the city as a good source for making honey.

'Paris has extraordinary green spaces,' said the beekeeper. In the parks and gardens there are many exotic plants and trees that are more than 300 years old. Paucton discovered the original location for his beehives about 30 years ago. Now there are many beekeepers who do the same. There are an estimated 300 beehives in Paris.

The metal ladders that lead to the roof of the rear wing of the building was originally only meant for chimney sweeps. Paucton uses them every other day or so to get to his beehives. The 77-year-old climbs through a window and carefully places his feet on a narrow strip of the roof. There's no railing to hold on to. The view takes in zinc roofs, the Eiffel Tower and the skyscrapers of La Defense.

Paucton came up with the idea after buying a beehive that he intended to position on his own property in the countryside. But he worked as the prop master at the Garnier Opera House and had to spend several consecutive weeks in Paris. He explained his problem to a firefighter.

'He suggested the roof and built the base of the beehive for me,' said Paucton, who believes the living conditions for bees are better in Paris than in the countryside.

'Pesticides are used intensely in agriculture,' he said. This affects not only the insects that harm plants, but also bees. In addition the climate in Paris is milder than in rural areas. 'Even in November my bees sometimes are still busy collecting nectar.'

These advantages have been discovered by other beekeepers. The town hall in the fourth district of the city recently harvested its first 30 kilograms of honey, and the roof of the Grand Palais harvested 50 kilograms. A luxury hotel, a bank and Roissy Airport also are home to beehives.

Paucton harvested most recently at the end of August just after his bees spent their days flying between the opera house and the Parisian city autobahn where they could access beautiful yellow blooms. The honey is sold in the opera house's souvenir shop for typical Parisian prices at 15 euro (19 dollars) for 125 grams.