Notre Dame: the mystery of the 150,000 bees that were in the fire was unveiled

The fierce

fire at Notre Dame

He devastated Monday the iconic cathedral and its iconic needle, which collapsed on the roof. But fortunately, the outbreaks did not make any victims among the tourists who visited him. Now, it has been learned that the thousands of bees that lived on the roofs are not dead either.

While the fire consumed nine centuries of French history, the chances of finding alive more than 150,000 European-type bees were uncertain and rare. A day later, good news gave hope to the beekeeping community to verify that the hives were intact, although
They did not know if their occupants were safe.

Recently, the company Beeopic, responsible for the care of the honeycombs, said that the bees had managed to survive. Thanks to a post on Instagram, we learned: "Our bees in Notre-Dame cathedral are still alive, as the officials of the place confirm!"

The beekeeper Nicolas Giant, who looks after the hives of Notre Dame located in the sacristy, did not think that they could be saved. "At first I thought the three hives had burned, I had no information, but I saw in the satellite images that it was not so and the spokesman of the cathedral confirmed that they were in and out of their hives, "he told AFP.

About the messages and calls he received from people around the world asking him if he knew how they were, he said: "It was unexpected, I received calls from Europe of course, but also from South Africa, Japan, the United States and South America. "

In case of fire and first signs of smoke, bees take a lot of honey and protect their queen. But Giant, who hopes to see the bees again next week, said "this species does not leave its hive".

The hives of Notre-Dame were installed in 2013. Since then, each produces an average of 25 kilos of honey a year, sold to the staff of Notre-Dame. But in the French capital, there are also hives in various and unexpected places, such as the Opera House.

Paris

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AFP Agency