Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai, AGMC join apiculturists, naturalists and conservationists around the world in observing World Bee Day
Over 60 schoolchildren have visited the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Apiary in Dubai this year, learning about the critical role bees play in our lives
“As pollinators for numerous flowering plants, bees are absolutely critical to biodiversity and human food production. World Bee Day is a reminder that conserving and protecting these fascinating and incredibly important species is of the utmost importance. We’re delighted to mark World Bee Day this year at our wonderful Dubai Apiary, which has welcomed over 60 of the city’s brightest young minds to immerse themselves in the magical world of bees and aid us in our mission to raise awareness of the threats facing these amazing creatures.” César Habib, Regional Director , Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai, AGMC, marked World Bee Day on Saturday 20 May 2023 with a unique educational event. A group of 19 students of different ages from local schools visited the magnificent Rolls-Royce Apiary, nestled within the lush grounds of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, where they took part in a variety of bee-related activities.After an introduction and Q&A session, the students toured the apiary, observing the different stages of the bees’ lifecycle, and learning about the role of the ‘Emirati Queen’ bee as the centre of hive society, and the importance of pollination. They also discovered how the apiary’s six hives were designed and built specifically to withstand Dubai’s climate. Equipped with their new knowledge, the students were then enlisted as junior beekeepers and put to work extracting honey, then learning how to identify ‘real’ honey from counterfeit product during a special tasting. The students also made seed bombs, an ingenious and effective method of sowing wildflowers and other plants which serve as a fundamental source of sustenance for bees.The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Apiary in Dubai was established on World Bee Day in 2021. It’s modelled on the highly successful apiary at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, England, where six palatial hives have sustained a colony of over 250,000 European honey bees since 2017. Over 60 local schoolchildren have visited the Dubai Apiary to date in 2023.As important pollinators for the majority of the world’s wild flowering plant species and more than 75% of global food crops, bees play a fundamental role in biodiversity, healthy ecosystems and food security. However, their populations have declined globally over recent decades due to changes in farming practices and land-use, habitat loss, pesticides and rising temperatures linked to climate change. To raise awareness of the importance of bees and the threats they face, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day, encouraging the world to protect these pollinators and their habitats.THE ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS DUBAI APIARY Like the original at the Home of Rolls-Royce, the Dubai Apiary comprises of six hives named ‘Phantom’, ‘Ghost’, ‘Wraith’, ‘Dawn’, ‘Cullinan’, and ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’. Made from cedar, and painted white to withstand the city’s high temperatures and humidity levels, the Apiary is home to some 60,000 bees, and six ‘Emirati Queens’, generously provided by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and carefully tended by experts from The Beekeepers Foundation, UAE.Since its launch, which coincided with the World Bee Day on 20 May 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai (AGMC) have been actively involved in helping to educate the public about the importance of these remarkable creatures in our ecosystem.“The Rolls-Royce Apiary is a project that is very close to my heart and incredibly important to all of us at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, AGMC. Under the supervision of the Beekeepers Foundation in Dubai, the Apiary serves as a refuge to help bees and other pollinator species to thrive, and to see the Apiary not only educate but inspire bright and curious minds is something that we are very proud of. I would like to thank all the volunteers, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club for their exceptional dedication and support with our Apiary initiative.” Rami Joudi, Regional PR & Communications Manager, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East & Africa