Sea-Tac Airport welcoming 500,000 honeybees
Jun 6, 2013, 8:37 AM | Updated: 12:04 pm
Honeybees are taking flight at Sea-Tac Airport.
Hoping to improve honey bee health, an urban farming group is tending six hives in the shadow of jumbo jets taking off and landing.
“As a leader in sustainability, we are pleased to become one of the first airports in the U.S. to host bees,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant. “Bees are a critical part of the food chain and connect with our goal of growing sustainably and increasing the economic contributions of the port while reducing our environmental footprint.”
The bees will populate the large tracts of open land that surround the airport used as a buffer for safety and noise.
There will also be a bee art and education exhibit in the airport on Concourse B.
Organizers of the project hope it will be inspiration for similar projects in other areas.
“This project is a poster child for land stewardship: the habitat, the bees, and our food system all benefit,” said Bob Redmond, director of The Common Acre and lead beekeeper for Flight Path. “The port’s leadership is exemplary — I hope Flight Path becomes a model for other projects in the region and nationwide.”
KIRO Radio Editor Val Stouffer contributed to this report.
