There are not many privileged people who have tasted Marais honey, with its delicious taste of lime and a slight minty note. No wonder: the last harvest only yielded 30 kilos (the equivalent of 60 pots) and the previous one 1,5 kilos. Which is not bad for a production started in 2019 on the roof of the Carreau du Temple.
It is there, eight meters above the street, that beekeeper André Behlouli installed three hives, with the association of beekeeping health defense groups (GDSA 94 and 75), which manages numerous apiaries. Thus, Marais honey is added to those, also Parisian, produced on the roofs of the Opéra Garnier (2nd), the Crédit municipal (4th) and the Jardin du Luxembourg (6th).
“For the Carreau du Temple, I planted Buckfasts, which are a less aggressive species than the black bee (apis mellifera) or Italian bee (apis mellifera ligustica), explains this enthusiast who is also the vice-president of the Groupement de bee health defense, dedicated to the preservation of striped foragers. Buckfast is very hardworking and its queen is very prolific, specifies this retired engineer. It is a favored breed in Parisian squares, woods, gardens, parks and cemeteries. »
At “Carreau”, André Behlouli has set up 3 hives with 20.000 bees each. At the peak of the beekeeping season (May-June), this insect population can increase three or four times.
Here, the management of the cultural institution resurrects a tradition. “Not long ago, there were around ten hives here but they had been empty for a while,” says Sandrina Martins, the director of Carreau who, with the general secretary of the place, Christophe Teillout, is responsible for ensuring the development of the swarms. . And good news, so far, so good.
Text: Katia Barillot
Photos and video: ©Anaïs Costet
07.05.20
WHAT IS GOING ON TO THE CHECK ?
Paris Café festival 2024
This unmissable event is an opportunity for specialty coffee lovers, amateurs or professionals, to stock up on coffee. But also to discover new trends with a multitude of coffees from more than 100 renowned brands and roasters.
Maraboutage evening at the Everybody 2024 festival
Friday February 9, 2024 from 22:30 p.m. until 1 a.m., prepare yourself for an experience where magic merges with boundless creativity, to present a spectacle that transcends the ordinary.
A 100% plant-based “Food Temple” at Carreau du Temple
After Africa, Australia and Portugal, the Carreau du Temple festival dedicated to food opens its doors for three days with a new theme: plants. From Friday September 22 to Sunday September 24, the 7th edition of the Food Temple will be an ode to nature and its beauty...
NOW ON THE MOOD MARSH
Jazz at 38Riv: The highlights of May
The only jazz club in the Marais, 38Riv is the temple of cool and swing. Rue de Rivoli, between Saint-Paul and Hôtel de Ville, its vaulted cellars are the home base of the new jazz scene. Every evening, the magic happens.
The Enfants Rouges market, everyone loves it
Restaurants. Merchants (fruit and vegetables, cheese, fish, flowers, etc.). And a photo store. All backed by Comme un roman, one of the most beautiful Parisian bookstores, on rue de Bretagne. In short, food for the body and...
The Marais Jewish quarter in Paris
From the 13th century, the Marais was home to a Jewish community which remained there until its expulsion in the 14th century. Fleeing poverty and persecution, Jews from Eastern countries and those from Alsace settled there in the 19th century. Around rue des rosiers and Place Saint-Paul renamed Pletz…