For Silvio Ueberschär, beekeeping means more than just honey. He is passionate about his bees. Their species-appropriate care is a prerequisite. Protecting biodiversity is, for him and his company Honigprinz, a natural part of that.

A conversation with Silvio Ueberschär of Honigprinz

Silvio, as the "Honey Prince," do you need a steady hand so as not to scare the queen bee?

Yes, in general, bees do not like stress at all. They cannot stand hectic movements or strong vibrations; any disturbance stresses them out. So, our bees also require a gentle and steady hand.

When did you discover beekeeping for yourselves?

We "Honey Princes" are three brothers: Sven, myself, and our youngest brother, Ronald. We come from a farming family. My grandmother had pigs, geese, and rabbits. A friend of the family was a beekeeper—he used to take Sven along to his hives when he was twelve. Then, at some point, my older brother had a bee colony of his own. We all enjoyed it and grew into it that way.

What is important to you when keeping bees?

Species-appropriate care is our top priority. Our bees live in natural wooden hive boxes and are not squeezed into plastic containers. We are careful about selecting locations: diverse flowering areas, as far away as possible from intensively farmed fields. In winter, we do not feed our bees exclusively on industrial sugar, but leave them a portion of their own honey.

What can each of us do for the bees?

A flower-rich garden is worth its weight in gold—even a small balcony with lavender, wildflowers, or herbs helps. Avoid pesticides. Buy regional honey instead of industrial honey from China or Argentina. And for those interested, you can even get yourself a small bee sponsorship.