14 DAY TRIAL // Airbus might be world-famous for its jets and whatnot, but, as it turns out, the company is also a dedicated honey maker. In fact, it has been one for about half a decade now.
According to Environmental Leader, it was about five years ago that Airbus had beehives set in place close to an aircraft paint shop and a runway used to test newly built jets in Hamburg, Germany.
These bees are allowed to fly around as they see fit and have been shown to collect pollen and nectar from plants growing in an area covering about 12 square kilometers (about 4.6 square miles).
Whatever honey these bees produce is regularly collected and analyzed, together with some of the wax and part of the pollen the insects bring to their hives, Airbus explains.
Data obtained in this manner helps determine whether the two sites operated by Airbus in Hamburg, Germany, have a reasonable environmental footprint, or if maybe they are guilty of contaminating nearby ecosystems.
This is because whatever contaminants might be lurking in local soil, air, or water, they would surely work their way into plants and eventually be detected in the honey produced by Airbus' bees.
In case anyone was wondering, it appears that, at least over the past half a decade, pollution levels close to these two Airbus sites in Germany have not once exceeded what specialists consider to be safe levels.
“We are very proud to say that every single result shows pollution levels are well under approved limits,” Airbus’ full-time beekeeper Eberhard Schädlich said in a statement.