Google Bees Give Up The Honey

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If this whole search thing doesn’t work out, at least Google might have a future in beekeeping.

The online giant announced in a blog posting earlier this week that the four hives at their HQ installed earlier this spring had produced more than 405lbs of honey during the fall flow. That’s a fantastic crop for a group of first-year hives!

“The honey is being put to good use—everyone who participated in the extraction got a jar to take home, while the rest of the honey will be used in the cafes and for cooking classes organized by Marc Rasic, an executive chef at Google and one of the people behind the beekeeping initiative,” writes software engineer Rob Peterson. “We’re also relieved that none of the hives have succumbed to Colony Collapse Disorder, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on them over the winter months to ensure that they stay happy, healthy and ready to start work again in the spring.”

No word yet on whether the hives had to deal with an infestation of Varroa mites (as almost all do) — but here’s to hoping they survive the winter and contribute once again to Google’s sustainability efforts at their Mountain View, California campus.