In 2021 The Mall installed a beehive on the roof, swiftly followed by a second one and a pollinator garden. In September this year they extracted their first honey harvest and sold it to shoppers, raising £680 for Luton Foodbank.
Two members of staff have volunteered as trainee beekeepers, who removed 30 frames from the bee hives and processed them in the kitchen. 75lbs of honey was collected and packed in jars for resale. Having sold most of the harvest to shoppers, the team kept some back for Bedfordshire Beekeepers Centenary Honey Show.
“We were so excited for the installation of our rooftop hive back in 2021,” says Tracey Bateman, Business Manager and one of The Mall’s trainee beekeepers. “It’s been so rewarding finally reaping the rewards of our (and the bees!) hard work. We are so grateful that shoppers were as excited as we were to buy jars of our delicious honey. All proceeds will go such a long way for Luton Foodbank, a charity very close to our hearts. Hopefully we will have many more jars to come in future seasons!”
The bee hives on the roof are part of the Mall’s environmental pledge, which includes recycling, and reducing water and energy use.
At Zero Carbon Luton we are interested in good use of rooftops – whether that is for rooftop gardens, solar, rainwater harvesting, or other uses. If you know of any other rooftop projects we should know about, tell us about it in the comments.
Zero Carbon Luton 
This is absolutely wonderful, what a lovely way to give a little bit of habitat back to bees.
The honey yield sounds impressive!
Would love to see the pollinator planting and hives. Will look out for information next time I’m in the mall.
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