Beekeeping

The apiary of the Botanical Garden of Turin was inaugurated on 12 June 2010, thanks to a project conceived by Lorenzo Domenis and Marco Cucco following the example of innovative international experiences which found a favorable space for bee breeding in the roofs, balconies, parks and gardens of the world's major metropolises (New York, Toronto, London, Paris and Melbourne).

In addition to exploiting the nectar-producing potential of the Piedmontese capital, the hives of the Garden now constitute an agro-zootechnical educational centre, capable of offering Turin school students and visiting tourists a practical demonstration, right in the center of the city, of the techniques traditionally used in beekeeping.

The bee families, housed in the Boschetto area, produce a wildflower honey which varies with different aromas from spring to summer, reflecting the floral and botanical variety of the urban environment: the nectars of the horse chestnut, harvested at the end of April, are followed by those of the acacia and ailanthus in May, of the lime and chestnut in June and July; with the honeydew, in which the bees concentrate, in August, the sap that moans from the trees, the production season ends and the swarms, after their great efforts, can finally store precious supplies in view of the long subalpine winter.