Beiruting News

The hive that is Byblos' Old Souk was buzzing with excitement last Saturday as another Alice Eddé event was underway!

Students from AUB and local secondary schools mingled with fascinated visitors in discovering the complex and intricate world of the humble bee. Celebrated for millennia, these mighty workers are under threat from environmental factors, and in collaboration with Dr Rami Ollaik (professor of Beekeeping at AUB), Alice Eddé wanted to host an event to draw more attention to their plight.

Alongside beekeepers from different regions of Lebanon were the traditional tools of the trade - honey frames, bee smokers and even a transparent hive - humming with bees - so that guests could see the flurry of activity underway as honey was made. Examples of bee propolis, pollen, royal jelly and pieces of honeycomb were all there for the touching.

There was a beekeeping tour with Dr Ollaik, a video of the 'Queen Bee' herself Alice Eddé covered in bees, a live honey extraction demonstration and a talk about the vital importance of bees in sustaining natural habitats across the world (not to mention, a plentiful supply of honey!).

Amongst an Eden of bee-attracting plants, guests were treated to cookies sweetened with honey, and little canapés comprising the delicious pairing of cheese and honey. Reflecting bees' favorite flowers to pollinate, the refreshments on offer were infused with rosemary, sage and thyme, complemented by, you guessed it, honey.

The EddéSands Spa team were on hand in the boutique showcasing the beauty benefits of honey, with decadent honey and olive oil hand and lip scrubs, with one brave gentleman undertaking his own foot scrub!

Educational, important and entertaining, the large crowd was entranced as the afternoon sped by. They left promising to plant more bee-friendly flowers, be more careful in their pesticide use and try more creative ways in their cooking with honey, to ensure the survival of nature's hardest workers.

"Such an enjoyable but educationally vital day. My favorite part was seeing the look of surprise on children's faces as they began to understand the link between the bees, the hive and the honey" - Alice Eddé

The honey producers that contributed to the success of the day were:

Fadi AbiSleiman (Honey Herbs), who specialises in honey-derived cosmetic and household products. He is local to Byblos and a Member of the Via Appia Orientale (NGO).

Marc Beyrouthy of NATURE organic herb and garden shop in Kaslik and an agricultural Professor at USEK.

Maurice Habib, a producer of royal jelly, propolis, pollen and many different kinds of honey from all over Lebanon where he has his many hives.

Dr Rami Ollaik, the HoneyMan, AUB beekeeping professor, explained the different steps in extracting honey, signed his books, and answered endless questions by young and old.

AUB honey was provided by the AUB beekeeping class and the honey frames for extracting by Maurice Habib.

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