Press release
ComEd Welcomes 80,000 Honeybees to Five Acres of Prairie in Powerline Corridor
ComEd welcomes back beehives for the third year in a row to protect pollinators, build on regional efforts to protect wildlife habitats and ecosystems
About this update from Exelon Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"\nComEd welcomes back beehives for the third year in a row to protect pollinators, build on regional efforts to protect wildlife habitats and ecosystems\n\n CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nBuzz around town is that there are two new queen bees in the neighborhood. ComEd announced today the return of honeybee hives – part of a recurring initiative by the company to host honeybee hives below its transmission lines to raise awareness about the urgent need to promote pollinator populations and their valuable contributions to the ecosystem. Two honeybee hives have been installed on five acres of prairie where half a mile of ComEd powerlines run in Prospect Heights, Illinois.\n\nThis is the third year ComEd has hosted honeybee hives on its right of way (ROW) land to raise awareness about the urgent need to promote pollinator populations and their valuable contributions to the ecosystem.\n\n“Pollinators like bees and butterflies are the heroes of our ecosystem that help keep food on our tables. Unfortunately, their access to food and safe habitats are in danger,” Neena Hemmady, vice president of support services at ComEd. “It is our responsibility to conserve wildlife and pollinator habitats, which is why we are excited to welcome back our honeybees. This summer, they will be busy bees, enjoying acres of native plants and pollinating the prairie under our power lines while creating their own honey.”\n\nHelping to support the installation of this year’s bee hives is Alveole, a global beekeeping company that collaborates with businesses to further their sustainability efforts. ComEd has partnered with Alveole for the past three years to install and maintain the beehives, harvesting 42.65 kilograms of honey for local communities along the way.\n\n“The Prairie in Prospect Heights is a beautiful site, and I can see the bees doing very well for the long term due to the ample sunshine and native plants,” said Grace Hart, Alveole Urban Beekeeper. “The two queen bees will reign the prairie and are expected to lay up to 2,000 eggs per day. These two colonies are a part of an estimated 5,800,000 Alveole’s honeybees pollinating around Chicago.”\n\nProtecting pollinators is urgent as bees, butterflies, birds and more than 200,000 other pollinator species are responsible for one out of every three bites of food humans eat and $20 billion worth of product...