The bees of Paris: so chic ! by lightmediation

The bees of Paris: so chic ! Some 300 hives have colonized the roofs and gardens of Paris. But who are these new beekeepers who let their bees gather pollen in the heart of the city? Photos by Eric Tourneret/LightMediation

2466-01: Nicolas GĂŠant going up on to the roof of the Grand Palais

2466-01: Nicolas Géant going up on to the roof of the Grand Palais

2466-03: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, on the roof of the opera opening up a hive and inspecting a frame. "In urban apiculture, raising bees is easier because, firstly, the temperature is

2466-04: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, "The Opera, that came about because of a hive I had left in the hallway of my apartment on the Rue de Richelieu. Just behind it there were the 400 linden trees of the

2466-05: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, carries a hive in front of the Opera Garnier. "I have become despite myself the most famous beekeeper in the world. And I began selling at Fauchon by

2466-06: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, on the roof of the Opera. "Urban apiculture is a way of making people understand what is happening in the beekeeping world. When bees die out, the

2466-07: Jean Paucton, at his home in Coignières in the Yvelines. "I sometimes harvest over 100 kilos of honey per hive in Paris for less than 20 in Coignières or in the Creuse. I presently have five hives on the

2466-08: Olivier Darné, artist and urban beekeeper set up his first hives in 2000 on the roof of the Mayor's Office of Saint-Denis, at the foot of the basilica. His apiary counts 20 hives. He has chosen bees as a

2466-02: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, set up his hives twenty years ago on the roof of the Opera just by chance. A prop man at the opera, he took courses in beekeeping at the SociĂŠtĂŠ Centrale for apiculture in the Luxembourg gardens. Sharing his time between Paris and the Creuse, he didn't know what to do with a hive given to him by a friend. It was the Opera fireman, who himself bred fish in the underground pond beneath the opera, who gave him the idea of setting the bees up on the roof of the Garnier.

2466-09: Henry Meynadier, 62 years old, general director of the public relations company Anatome, in his office where he has set up a hive. "I spent my childhood in the Cévennes, and I probably had my first hive

2466-10: Roger Hottin and Maurice Henriot from the association Les Amis des Clos à Pêches in Bagnolet. "The towns surrounding Paris were market gardening towns. The hillocks between Montreuil and Bagnolet

2466-11: On June 4, 2009, Nicolas Géant set up a hive on the roof of the Grand Palais in Paris. "I have about 150 hives to the west of Paris, one at Vuitton's at the Pont Neuf bridge and today two on the roof of

2466-12: On the roof of the Grand Palais in Paris, Nicolas Géant opens a hive. "The honey of the Grand Palais will be sold on the spot. For the moment, there are two hives, and the goal is to have five or six. I

2466-13: The installation of the first hive on the roof of the Grand Palais

2466-14: The installation of the first hive on the roof of the Grand Palais

2466-15: On the roof of the Grand Palais, the installation of the first hive with the president of the Grand Palais, Yves Saint-Geours and photographers from the press agencies. This installation has known an

2466-16: The apiary of the SociĂŠtĂŠ Centrale d'Apiculture in the Luxembourg gardens buzzes like a hive during the introductory courses in beekeeping. In 2009, places in the courses were filled within two hours.

2466-18: A new educational apiary has been set up for children of the Institut National des Jeunes Sourds (National Institute for Young Deaf People). Inaugurated on June 4, the apiary with four hives has been installed in the big garden of the Institute on the Boulevard Saint Michel. The goal is the awakening and opening up of students, partly cut off from the world, through the fascinating world of bees.

2466-17: A new educational apiary has been set up for children of the Institut National des Jeunes Sourds (National Institute for Young Deaf People). Inaugurated on June 4, the apiary with four hives has been

2466-19: Christophe Morlon, a sculpture teacher, by his hives on the roof of the professional lycĂŠe Jean-JaurĂ¨s in the 19th arrondissement. "We put the hives on the school in the beginning of July 2008 to

2466-20: Daniel Jodet, 60 years old. "I am a sculptor and professor at the Fine Arts School of Paris. My grandfather was a farmer and had one or two hives. It was the tradition in the countryside, you had to have

2466-21: Daniel Jodet, 60 years old. "I am a sculptor and professor at the Fine Arts School of Paris. My grandfather was a farmer and had one or two hives. It was the tradition in the countryside, you had to have

2466-22: Jean Paucton in the Parc de la Villette puts a swarm of bees into hives to populate his apiary. "In the Villette, I give classes on raising bees to children and adults. This quick introduction to beekeeping is

2466-39: In Jean Paucton's workshop in CoigniĂ¨re, the most famous beekeeper in the world presents his exceptional honey. A 125g jar can be bought at Fauchon for 15euros. One of the most original souvenirs of Paris you can get.

2466-26: A bee sucking up honey.

2466-27: On a bee's wax frame, the bees in the brood cells (the place where eggs are laid and the larvae raised). You can clearly see the honey covered by wax.

2466-28: A beekeeper drawing out from a hive a wax frame covered with bees.

2466-29: A beekeeper drawing out from a hive a wax frame covered with bees.

2466-30: A bee sucks up a drop of honey.

2466-31: Jean Paucton in the Parc de la Villette puts a swarm of bees into hives to populate his apiary. "I started by setting up hives near GuĂŠret in the Creuse. Since, agriculture has changed. At the time there

2466-32: Progression of a bee egg to the larva stage then the pupa lacking any pigmentation up to the final stage before birth when the future bee takes on its pigment.

2466-34: In Montreuil, Alain Llobregat, 41 years old, photographer and decorator, beekeeper for 3 years now, and his master in apiculture, his neighbor Jacques Linon, 69 years old. Their gardens are next to

2466-35: Hervé Robert- Garouel, 53 years old, in the apiary he takes care of in the arena of Nanterre. Painter, Hervé began beekeeping in 2003. Also a monitor of undersea diving and biology, he was looking

2466-36: Hervé Robert- Garouel, 53 years old, in the apiary he takes care of in the arena of Nanterre. Painter, Hervé began beekeeping in 2003. Also a monitor of undersea diving and biology, he was looking

2466-37: Jean Paucton in the Parc de la Villette, the bees fly about all over the place.

2466-38: A bee gorges itself with honey on a wax frame with cells full of nectar.

2466-40: Manual cutting of the labels for the most expensive honey in the world, that of the Paris Opera house. And, paradoxically, one of the most traditional.

2466-43: May 6, 2009, inauguration of the hive on the terrace of the headquarters of Louis Vuitton, near the Pont Neuf bridge, in the presence of Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton. According to Nicolas GĂŠant, originator of this step, "the Sustainable Develpoment services of the group LVMH was seduced by the project. They want to make it a showcase, in-house at first. My idea is to work with companies committed to sustainable development. I remain the owner of the hives and I offer to mount a project based on bees".

2466-41: A jar of honey from the Opera garnier. "When I went up onto the roof one week after setting up my first hive, it was a veritable honey house," remembers Jean Paucton. "Honey was dripping everywhere!

2466-42: A jar of honey from the Opera garnier. "When I went up onto the roof one week after setting up my first hive, it was a veritable honey house," remembers Jean Paucton. "Honey was dripping

2466-44: May 6, 2009, inauguration of the hive on the terrace of the headquarters of Louis Vuitton, near the Pont Neuf bridge, in the presence of Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton. According to Nicolas GĂŠant,

2466-25: Louis Pernot, 50 ans, pastor of the reformed church of the Ă&#x2030;toile, set up three hives three years ago on the roof of this neo-baroque edifice on the Avenue de la Grande ArmĂŠe. "My parishioners found that super, the young come to see it, the people are interested, they find it original and they buy my honey, which sells like hot cakes and provides a financial addition to the parish. I studied to be an engineer. The difficulty with beekeeping in Paris is the neighbors. They love the country when it's on TV but when the bees go onto their flowers, they're scared."

The bees of Paris : so chic ! Some 300 hives have colonized the roofs and gardens of Paris. The people of the city have gone mad about bees: suppliers of apicultural materials in the area surrounding the capital have shown record sales since the beginning of the year, and the beekeeping classes at the apiary of the Luxembourg gardens have been saturated with requests to register in just a few hours. But who are these new beekeepers who let their bees gather pollen in the heart of the city? Jean Paucton, the most famous beekeeper in the world who set up his hives on the roof of the Opéra Garnier twenty years ago, has been despite himself the spearhead of this movement. His honey sells for a fortune to Japanese and Korean tourists, and a week doesn't go by without an international TV station interviewing him. On June 4th, the beekeeper Nicolas Géant set up two hives on the roof of the Grand-Palais, which is planning on marketing the honey. And a third on the terrace of Louis Vuitton near the Pont-Neuf bridge. For corporations also, the bee is becoming the vector of communication concerning sustainable development. The artist-beekeeper Olivier Darné's apiary, placed in 2000 on the roof of the mayor's office of Saint-Denis, today counts nearly 40 ruches and has initiated a fundamental step towards presenting the relation between the city dwellers and their environment. After having exhibited at the Pompidou Center, Olivier Darné has swarmed in Grenoble, Marseille, Geneva and soon Brussels... This new urban interest in the bee reveals the need to find again that lost link with nature. It is also, for the beekeepers, a means of revealing the absurdity of the apicultural situation: the city bee is in better health than its cousin in the fields. The Parisian hives can produce up to 130 kilos of honey

per year, compared to an average of 15 to 20 kilos from those in the fields!

Captions 2466-01: Nicolas Géant going up on to the roof of the Grand Palais 2466-02: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, set up his hives twenty years ago on the roof of the Opera just by chance. A prop man at the opera, he took courses in beekeeping at the Société Centrale for apiculture in the Luxembourg gardens. Sharing his time between Paris and the Creuse, he didn't know what to do with a hive given to him by a friend. It was the Opera fireman, who himself bred fish in the underground pond beneath the opera, who gave him the idea of setting the bees up on the roof of the Garnier. 2466-03: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, on the roof of the opera opening up a hive and inspecting a frame. "In urban apiculture, raising bees is easier because, firstly, the temperature is milder in Paris, by about 3°C, which allows them to go out more. Secondly, the flora is very diversified: linden, chestnut trees... 2466-04: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, "The Opera, that came about because of a hive I had left in the hallway of my apartment on the Rue de Richelieu. Just behind it there were the 400 linden trees of the Palais Royal." 2466-05: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, carries a hive in front of the Opera Garnier. "I have become despite myself the most famous beekeeper in the world. And I began selling at Fauchon by just going to see them. That's how things worked then. My customers are above all seduced by the

bit "Opéra de Paris". It would work on the Eiffel Tower also. It's a small, inexpensive souvenir. I sell 125 grams for 4.50 euros, that makes 36 euros a kilo. The price for the public reaches 120 euros per kilo, which makes it one of the most expensive honeys in the world." 2466-06: Paris, Opera Garnier. Jean Paucton, 76 years old, on the roof of the Opera. "Urban apiculture is a way of making people understand what is happening in the beekeeping world. When bees die out, the environment is really in danger." 2466-07: Jean Paucton, at his home in Coignières in the Yvelines. "I sometimes harvest over 100 kilos of honey per hive in Paris for less than 20 in Coignières or in the Creuse. I presently have five hives on the opera. I harvest little by little, frame by frame, the passage to get on to the roof is narrow. As a rule, I go on Sundays". 2466-08: Olivier Darné, artist and urban beekeeper set up his first hives in 2000 on the roof of the Mayor's Office of Saint-Denis, at the foot of the basilica. His apiary counts 20 hives. He has chosen bees as a medium, and for years now puts bees and questions on the sidewalks of the cities. 2466-09: Henry Meynadier, 62 years old, general director of the public relations company Anatome, in his office where he has set up a hive. "I spent my childhood in the Cévennes, and I probably had my first hive at the age of 10. Beekeeping is my family history, my roots... I set up this hive 4 years ago, following a lunch with Henri Clément, national director of the UNAF (National Union of French Apiculture). The discussion at that lunch centered on his concern to be able to resist the pesticides

lobby and those international corporations that ruin our environment. Since I have a public relations company that works a lot on the big questions of public interest, I offered in an activist manner to contribute to their communications, to examine with him the manner in which we could establish a line of resistance to these lobbies." 2466-10: Roger Hottin and Maurice Henriot from the association Les Amis des Clos à Pêches in Bagnolet. "The towns surrounding Paris were market gardening towns. The hillocks between Montreuil and Bagnolet were covered in gladioli that were sold in the Sunday market. Today, there's nothing. In the 1950s, the suburbs were still the fruit and vegetable garden of Paris, there were the asparagus from Argenteuil, the peaches from Montreuil and Bagnolet." 2466-11: On June 4, 2009, Nicolas Géant set up a hive on the roof of the Grand Palais in Paris. "I have about 150 hives to the west of Paris, one at Vuitton's at the Pont Neuf bridge and today two on the roof of the Grand Palais. My objective in setting up these hives right in the heart of Paris is to point my finger at this paradox: the bee in the city does very well while those of the fields ...not the county... do very badly. That shows that there are presently problems. So I looked for a mythical spot in Paris, I wanted it to be near the Champs-Elysées, which everyone knows, from New York to Tokyo." 2466-12: On the roof of the Grand Palais in Paris, Nicolas Géant opens a hive. "The honey of the Grand Palais will be sold on the spot. For the moment, there are two hives, and the goal is to have five or six. I want to systematize this operation with the

big companies in a city, in Paris and elsewhere: I am mounting a project with Google in California where half the roofs are equipped with solar panels. My main message is to again put the bees as close as possible to Man, like they have always been." 2466-13_14: The installation of the first hive on the roof of the Grand Palais 2466-15: On the roof of the Grand Palais, the installation of the first hive with the president of the Grand Palais, Yves Saint-Geours and photographers from the press agencies. This installation has known an overwhelming success and, since, the Grand Palais receives each week requests from television stations from around the world to film there. 2466-16: The apiary of the Société Centrale d'Apiculture in the Luxembourg gardens buzzes like a hive during the introductory courses in beekeeping. In 2009, places in the courses were filled within two hours. The craze for beekeeping is big. In Paris and in the provinces, amateurs have never before bought so many hives. 2466-17: A new educational apiary has been set up for children of the Institut National des Jeunes Sourds (National Institute for Young Deaf People). Inaugurated on June 4, the apiary with four hives has been installed in the big garden of the Institute on the Boulevard Saint Michel. The goal is the awakening and opening up of students, partly cut off from the world, through the fascinating world of bees. 2466-18: A new educational apiary has been set up for children of the Institut National des Jeunes Sourds (National

Institute for Young Deaf People). Inaugurated on June 4, the apiary with four hives has been installed in the big garden of the Institute on the Boulevard Saint Michel. The goal is the awakening and opening up of students, partly cut off from the world, through the fascinating world of bees. 2466-19: Christophe Morlon, a sculpture teacher, by his hives on the roof of the professional lycée Jean-Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement. "We put the hives on the school in the beginning of July 2008 to raise awareness of the students with difficulties (the lycée is a regional establishment of adapted teaching), who need orientating". 2466-20: Daniel Jodet, 60 years old. "I am a sculptor and professor at the Fine Arts School of Paris. My grandfather was a farmer and had one or two hives. It was the tradition in the countryside, you had to have bees, cows, goats, hens, rabbits out of a concern for self-sufficiency." 2466-21: Daniel Jodet, 60 years old. "I am a sculptor and professor at the Fine Arts School of Paris. My grandfather was a farmer and had one or two hives. It was the tradition in the countryside, you had to have bees, cows, goats, hens, rabbits out of a concern for self-sufficiency." 2466-22: Jean Paucton in the Parc de la Villette puts a swarm of bees into hives to populate his apiary. "In the Villette, I give classes on raising bees to children and adults. This quick introduction to beekeeping is much sought after because everyone wants to know more about bees.

For me, urban apiculture allows us to denounce everything that is dumped into the fields, the insecticides like Cruiser, the herbicides"

2466-27: On a bee's wax frame, the bees in the brood cells (the place where eggs are laid and the larvae raised). You can clearly see the honey covered by wax.

2466-23: The hive belonging to Rémy Vanbremeersch, 43 years old, on the roof of the recreation center on the Place des Fêtes in the 19th arrondissement. For him, beekeeping is a family history. "I started working as a steward for the airlines. After having lived in Paris it's not easy to take over a farm again and farming has become too chemical. I put insecticides onto the fields when I was young, I don't want to start all that again."

2466-28: A beekeeper drawing out from a hive a wax frame covered with bees.

2466-24: The hive belonging to Rémy Vanbremeersch, 43 years old, on the roof of the recreation center on the Place des Fêtes in the 19th arrondissement. For him, beekeeping is a family history. "I started working as a steward for the airlines. After having lived in Paris it's not easy to take over a farm again and farming has become too chemical. I put insecticides onto the fields when I was young, I don't want to start all that again." 2466-25: Louis Pernot, 50 ans, pastor of the reformed church of the Étoile, set up three hives three years ago on the roof of this neo-baroque edifice on the Avenue de la Grande Armée. "My parishioners found that super, the young come to see it, the people are interested, they find it original and they buy my honey, which sells like hot cakes and provides a financial addition to the parish. I studied to be an engineer. The difficulty with beekeeping in Paris is the neighbors. They love the country when it's on TV but when the bees go onto their flowers, they're scared." 2466-26: A bee sucking up honey.

2466-29: A beekeeper drawing out from a hive a wax frame covered with bees. 2466-30: A bee sucks up a drop of honey. 2466-31: Jean Paucton in the Parc de la Villette puts a swarm of bees into hives to populate his apiary. "I started by setting up hives near Guéret in the Creuse. Since, agriculture has changed. At the time there was a great diversity, they planted clover, they made hay, all the farmers had hives. Since, the hedges have disappeared, like the farmers. There was a guy in the area who knew a bit more than the others, who came to harvest and take care of the hives. Some people were scared stiff of their bees which were of a local breed. I started that way, I had two, four, then ten, then twelve. I had practically nothing to do, it worked very well, I came a few weekends each year, the bees had enough to eat. Then the hedges disappeared, the sides of the roads are now treated with Round-up, a herbicide. The pivoting point came in 1994 when the fields of sunflower and rape appeared. Monoculture established itself with the death of the old farmers. The young have taken over the farms and have started treating. The hives weakened and a whole farming tradition has disappeared." 2466-32: Progression of a bee egg to the larva stage then the pupa lacking any pigmentation up to the final stage before birth when the future bee takes on its pigment.

2466-33: In Montreuil, Alain Llobregat, 41 years old, photographer and decorator, beekeeper for 3 years now, and his master in apiculture, his neighbor Jacques Linon, 69 years old. Their gardens are next to each other; a small fence crossed by a ladder separates them. Chance often comes into play in the introduction to beekeeping. Here, it's a case of passing on the knowledge, which started with a hive recuperated by Jacques and which Alain agreed to set up on the roof of his workshop. Since then, they work together on the big jobs, the harvests, the treatments. Jacques has two and a half hives; it's beautiful to see. The previous year, he produced 30 kilos per hive. "It's a passion, because I don't sell the honey, I give it away," says Alain. "It's a very fragrant, fruity honey, a true delight. When we are with the bees, we have to free our minds, we can't be thinking of other things." 2466-34: In Montreuil, Alain Llobregat, 41 years old, photographer and decorator, beekeeper for 3 years now, and his master in apiculture, his neighbor Jacques Linon, 69 years old. Their gardens are next to each other; a small fence crossed by a ladder separates them. Chance often comes into play in the introduction to beekeeping. Here, it's a case of passing on the knowledge, which started with a hive recuperated by Jacques and which Alain agreed to set up on the roof of his workshop. Since then, they work together on the big jobs, the harvests, the treatments. Jacques has two and a half hives; it's beautiful to see. The previous year, he produced 30 kilos per hive. "It's a passion, because I don't sell the honey, I give it away," says Alain. "It's a very fragrant, fruity honey, a true delight. When we are with the bees, we have to free our

minds, we can't be thinking of other things." 2466-35: Hervé Robert- Garouel, 53 years old, in the apiary he takes care of in the arena of Nanterre. Painter, Hervé began beekeeping in 2003. Also a monitor of undersea diving and biology, he was looking for a second passion. After courses in amateur beekeeping at the SCA, he set up an apiary in the Eure Valley and takes care of several hives, like those of Nanterre. The apiary of the Ferme du Bonheur farm has as its mission to be an activity-orientated support and produce honey, the sale of which will help finance the association. A project for an educational apiary is in the works. 2466-36: Hervé Robert- Garouel, 53 years old, in the apiary he takes care of in the arena of Nanterre. Painter, Hervé began beekeeping in 2003. Also a monitor of undersea diving and biology, he was looking for a second passion. After courses in amateur beekeeping at the SCA, he set up an apiary in the Eure Valley and takes care of several hives, like those of Nanterre. The apiary of the Ferme du Bonheur farm has as its mission to be an activity-orientated support and produce honey, the sale of which will help finance the association. A project for an educational apiary is in the works. 2466-37: Jean Paucton in the Parc de la Villette, the bees fly about all over the place. 2466-38: A bee gorges itself with honey on a wax frame with cells full of nectar.

2466-39: In Jean Paucton's workshop in Coignière, the most famous beekeeper in the world presents his exceptional honey. A 125g jar can be bought at Fauchon for 15euros. One of the most original souvenirs of Paris you can get. 2466-40: Manual cutting of the labels for the most expensive honey in the world, that of the Paris Opera house. And, paradoxically, one of the most traditional. 2466-41-42: A jar of honey from the Opera garnier. "When I went up onto the roof one week after setting up my first hive, it was a veritable honey house," remembers Jean Paucton. "Honey was dripping everywhere! It was a very flavorful honey, with notes of lemon and mint. This is not at all an ordinary honey, like that from rape or sunflower". 2466-43: May 6, 2009, inauguration of the hive on the terrace of the headquarters of Louis Vuitton, near the Pont Neuf bridge, in the presence of Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton. According to Nicolas Géant, originator of this step, "the Sustainable Develpoment services of the group LVMH was seduced by the project. They want to make it a showcase, in-house at first. My idea is to work with companies committed to sustainable development. I remain the owner of the hives and I offer to mount a project based on bees". 2466-44: May 6, 2009, inauguration of the hive on the terrace of the headquarters of Louis Vuitton, near the Pont Neuf bridge, in the presence of Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton. According to Nicolas Géant, originator of this step, "the Sustainable Develpoment services of the group LVMH was seduced by the project. They want to make it a showcase, in-house at first. My idea is to work with companies committed

to sustainable development. I remain the owner of the hives and I offer to mount a project based on bees".