At SACBO we have always focused on environmental well-being and respect for the ecosystem. This is why, to monitor the air quality in the airport area, we decided to rely on a small natural ally; bees.
Many people are unaware that these insects are veritable “natural indicators” of air quality, much more effective and efficient than the most advanced mechanical instruments; one only has to consider that a single beehive is capable of monitoring 700 hectares of land.
There are various ways in which bees can be used to monitor, the most obvious of all being related to whether a bee remains in its territory; if the bees are not happy in the area where they live, they will swarm in search of more hospitable places.
A second method involves the instrumental observation of the insects’ wings, which allows the amount of dust attributable to emissions to be analysed. Lastly, a third benchmark is the quality of honey.
This extraordinary relationship led us in 2021 to begin collaborating with a professional beekeeper, which led to the setting up of a bee farm on one of the portions of land belonging to the airport.
The farm, which currently has forty beehives, has served as an opportunity to regenerate one of the areas surrounding our terminal and start an environmentally sustainable activity of vital importance for our planet; bees are extremely useful for the survival of the ecosystem.