McDonalds' 'McHive' open for 'bees-ness'
Marie Donlon | June 04, 2019To highlight its efforts to help declining bee populations, fast food giant McDonald’s, along with the Stockholm-based advertising agency Nord DDB, have constructed what they call the world's smallest McDonald’s restaurant.
Called the McHive, the tiny restaurant is actually a beehive in the same shape and design as a modern-day McDonald’s building, but smaller. The hive, which was built to support declining bee populations, even has drive-thru windows and room for thousands of bees to work.
McDonald’s restaurants in Sweden began the efforts locally by constructing beehives on their rooftops. Now the initiative is growing, with other McDonald’s locations worldwide following suit. Likewise, some participating restaurants are taking efforts a step further by replacing the grass that typically surrounds the restaurants with flowers and plants likely to invite wild bees.
Declining bee populations, due largely to climate change and excessive pesticide use, will likely have complications for agriculture and the food web, and could impact food chains like McDonald's, making their conservation efforts even more important.
To see how the McHive was built, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Nord DDB.