Passengers at Helsinki Airport can rest assured they won’t be missing out on any sweetness as the airport has confirmed it will continue its yearly tradition of installing beehives on-site.
The airport, which has housed beehives during the summer months since 2023, has introduced two new beehives on the east side of runway 2.
Each beehive houses around 50,000 pollinators, and is regularly maintained by Finnish company Korpikuusikon Hunaja once per week.
Kirsi Pitkäranta, Finavia’s Vice President, Sustainability & Environment, said:We take care of the local environment and the nature around our airport. Bees pollinate plants that can then reproduce and produce more food for other insects, such as butterflies. This will also improve the reproductive possibilities of insects and diversify the species in the area.
It’s important that the airport and its surrounding nature can thrive as neighbours and as part of the same ecosystem. Finavia's goal is to promote biodiversity in the vicinity of airports.
There are varied environments in the vicinity, such as bogs, sunny ridges and forests. Bees collect nectar on their own and only move around in swarms when changing hives, so they do not harm airport operations. They also do not attract birds.
