First published: June 1, 2022
The company grounds in Besigheim are buzzing with activity. Since late April, six bee colonies—each with about 50,000 bees—have been living at MÜLLER | DIE LILA LOGISTIK.
Bees are essential to our ecosystem, as 80% of all native flowering plants depend on pollination by insects. From an economic perspective, honey production plays only a minor role, as the value of pollination services exceeds the value of honey production by a factor of 10 to 15. About 800 native plant species depend on pollination by bees, making bees one of the three most important livestock animals, alongside pigs and cattle. Without bees, not only would there be no honey on the breakfast table, but also no fresh strawberries or apple juice.
Sustainability is lived and nurtured at Müller | Die lila Logistik, and as a result, the company is growing by 300,000 hardworking LILA bees.
To ensure that bees and other insects thrive, care was taken from the outset to design the green spaces to be as natural as possible and rich in flowers. In addition, the nearby rapeseed fields and the adjacent forest provide a plentiful food supply.
The beehives are tended by local beekeeper Peter Herrmann, meaning that not only is honey production based in Besigheim, but so are processing and bottling. A bee colony can produce an average of up to 20 kilograms of honey per year; it remains to be seen just how hardworking the LILA bees will be.