50 beehives installed on the Danube Island

  • In 2020 the first beehives have been installed on the Danube Island.
  • Since spring 2021 there are 50 bee colonies in total.
  • Locations:
  • From May until September the honey they produce is available to buy at the Inselinfo service centre and online from beekeeper Thomas Zelenka.

As part of the EU LIFE DICCA project, the Danube Island has become home to 50 colonies of bees. Honeybees and wild bees are responsible for pollinating the majority of all plants and are therefore vitally important to our ecosystems as well as to agriculture.

Hives are looked after by an organic master beekeeper

master beekeeper with hives

The 15 hives at the Inselinfo service centre each house around 70,000 bees were bred and brought to the Danube island by organic master beekeeper Thomas Zelenka. The site is especially well suited because the grassy area has been left in a near-natural state for several years and supports a large number of wild flowers.

The beehives at the Wehr 1 barrage were "adopted" by Thomas Zelenka back in spring 2019 on behalf of the City of Vienna.

Island Honey

glas of honey, hives

The first honey was harvested in summer 2020. Municipal Department (MA 45) - Water Management receives a small share of the harvest every year in return for making the site available for the hives. You can buy our Island Honey on site at the Inselinfo service centre or online from beekeeper Thomas Zelenka.

Bees in Vienna

Vienna has proved to be an especially diverse foraging area for bees. The city's parks, roof gardens, tree-lined avenues and gardens of all sizes with flowerbeds are a paradise for the busy insects. There are beehives on the roof of Vienna City Hall, at Cobenzl Winery and at Hirschstetten Flower Gardens, among other places.

Bees in Vienna (German)

Logo of the LIFE+ Programme of the European Union

The LIFE DICCA project is funded under the LIFE Programme of the European Union.

Contact for this page:
City of Vienna | Water Management
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