Ford Cuautitlán Ready to Receive 70,000 Bees in New Apiary

The first beekeeping program within the Ford Cuautitlán Plant will support bee populations, the local ecosystem and the local agricultural and gardening communities. Trained volunteers will oversee the maintenance of the area and the protection of the bees. This apiary is expected to have the capacity for up to 70,000 bees to support their essential activities for the world.

To make an ideal design and add a Ford-specific creative touch, three proposed designs for the artificial hives were created by CSAP's collaborators for evaluation. One design proposed a structure made entirely from recycled materials that are kept in the plant. Another suggested using the silhouette of the Mustang Mach-E to house our flying allies. Finally, the winning submission introduced us to a sunflower-shaped pollinating box and was fully inspired by these flowers that bees love for their abundant pollen. Additionally, the structure allows easy access for beekeepers and could be made in the perfect size for bees to live in and produce honey while giving them the freedom to go out and look for their own food.

"We made this design thinking about the functionality and toughness of the materials and the quality of life we could offer to the honey makers. For us, sunflowers have symbolized the strength of life, and it is exactly the message that we want to give our dew drop-sized friends," Alberto López, an environmental engineer at Ford Cuautitlán and project leader, mentioned.

Bees are essential for the world as we know it and according to the United Nations Environment Program, there are just over 20,000 species of bees around the world (2019). Meanwhile, experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations point out that a third of global production of food depends on them. Data from the Mexican government tells us that 88% of the different fruits or seeds we grow and eat depend on pollinators. In 2021, The Digital Magazine of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography pointed out that in Mexico there has been a decrease of 32% of the existing hives; so, we need to start developing "pollination gardens" that allow bees to keep going with their essential activity.

"Sustainability goes beyond just reducing our waste, it's about improving the environment in which we live for everyone and that includes bees, pollinators, and the ecosystems that depend on them." Said Dionisio Menchero, Director of Sustainability at Ford in México. "This apiary is a clear - and not so demanding - example of the small actions that companies can do and impact in a significant and positive way to the environment."