“We work with this insect that is almost universally loved and very docile.”
Noni Ángel
Beekeeper
Alveole
.…on caring for the bees that live atop the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas headquarters in Richardson.
Something’s buzzing atop the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas headquarters in Richardson—and it’s offering a sustainable touch to the surrounding community.
Earlier in the fall, BCBSTX installed two bee hives on the north side of its HQ building as part of the company’s sustainability efforts. The hives are home to nearly 100,000 Italian honeybees.
“Some clients aren’t thinking about their native biodiversity or environment at all,” Ángel said in a statement. “Then they have this insect they can connect with and we can start those larger conversations.”
Alveole, a company that helps businesses, schools, and other organizations bring bees to their buildings, is maintaining the hives and educating BCBSTX employees about the bees’ role in environmental sustainability.
Each fall, about 100 jars of honey will be harvested from the BCBSTX hives. The honey will be available for sale to employees. But the bigger impact is education, Ángel says.
“We can use beehives as an avenue to talk about the environmental concerns threatening their hive,” she said. “That also starts larger discussions about how those same things are threatening our own environment.”
Terry Bridges, the BCBSTX facilities rep overseeing the hives, is lovin’ the buzz.
“Some will simply see the bees as a novelty, but I genuinely hope that most people who engage with this program, on any level, come to understand it as a barometer of the health of the larger ecosystem,” Bridges said. “We as co-inhabitants of the planet have to recognize and accept our role in protecting the ecosystem.”
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