Returning to the essential : meeting FreeTheBees

As part of the Save The Bees project, born in resonance with our Little Bee collection, we had the privilege of meeting the president of the FreeTheBees association, Mr. André Dunand. It was along their discovery trail in Vaulruz, set within the gentle landscapes of the Gruyère region, that this exchange came to life. Through this encounter, a different vision unfolds : one that is more respectful, more conscious, and deeply rooted in the living world.

To begin, could you introduce FreeTheBees and tell us how the association was founded ?

FreeTheBees was born from a profound questioning of conventional beekeeping, notably driven by André Wermelinger, who had been a beekeeper for many years. Over time, through his direct contact with bees, he realized that there were inconsistencies in traditional beekeeping practices, and above all that it was possible to do better.

He identified four main criticisms. The first was that beekeeping had become too intensive. The second was that honey production had become the priority, rather than the well-being of the bees themselves. The third concerned the fact that when honey is extracted, it is often replaced with industrial sugar, which is completely unsuitable for bees. And the fourth was the excessive use of chemical treatments, which deeply revolted him. It was from this realization that FreeTheBees was founded, with the intention of proposing a different approach, one that is more respectful of the natural functioning of bees.

What motivated your personal commitment to this initiative, and what vision guides your mission today?

I have always been very close to nature, with a real sensitivity to these questions. But for a long time, my professional and personal activities did not allow me to truly commit. It was at the time of my retirement that I was finally able to take the time to do what I had always wanted to do. I came into contact with FreeTheBees during a conference, and very quickly I connected with their mission and their vision. It truly corresponded to the way I see nature and the world.

This engagement was also a way of fulfilling a part of myself that had remained somewhat dormant. Today, what guides our mission is really the idea of protecting bees by respecting their natural way of life and rethinking the practices that impact them.

Your organization focuses specifically on wild honeybees. Why is this distinction important?

We made this choice because honeybees are directly affected by conventional beekeeping practices. They are the ones that undergo treatments, manipulations, and changes in their diet and way of life. They therefore require particular attention. We observed that these practices raise real issues, and that it was necessary to intervene with concrete solutions. Of course, many bee species are currently endangered, but we could not address everything at once.

So we chose to focus on the honeybee, because this is where we can have the greatest impact, by proposing alternatives to current practices and improving their situation in a very concrete way.

Many initiatives encourage installing more hives to help bees. What is your perspective on this approach?

Today, it is important to understand that there are already a very large amount of hives. In Switzerland, there are around 18,000 beekeepers, which is a very high number, and this results in a very high density of hives across the territory. If we compare this to nature, the difference is striking: in a natural environment, there are generally between one and five colonies per square kilometer. Today, in some areas, we can easily reach around twenty hives per square kilometer. The ratio is therefore extremely high.

From this point, we can ask ourselves whether it is relevant to add even more hives. For us, the answer is rather no. There are already enough colonies. The challenge today is not to increase their number, but to focus on the quality of life of the bees. This involves other levers: more nature, more biodiversity, better living conditions. There is a great deal to be done beyond simply installing more hives.

Your work highlights the importance of natural habitats, particularly tree cavities. Why are these environments so important for their survival?

Originally, bees live in natural habitats such as cavities in trees. For practical reasons, humans have brought bees closer to them, especially to facilitate honey production, and have therefore created hives, which are in fact artificial structures.

This is where a fundamental difference appears. Natural habitats are round and organic, whereas the hives we use are square. This may seem like a small detail, but in reality, it changes a lot of things. In a square structure, with right angles, air circulation is much more limited. This creates stagnant zones, encourages humidity, and we often observe the appearance of mold. And these molds obviously have a direct impact on the health of the bees.

On the contrary, in a natural habitat such as a tree trunk, air circulates in a much more fluid and natural way. There is also another major difference: the thickness of the walls. In a tree, walls can be 8 to 10 cm thick, whereas in a conventional hive they are around 3 to 4 cm. This difference plays an essential role in temperature regulation. In a natural habitat, the temperature remains much more stable, both in summer and in winter. In a conventional hive, bees are exposed to much stronger variations: too hot in summer, too cold in winter.

This has direct consequences. For example, in a natural habitat, a colony needs only 4 to 5 kg of honey to get through the winter, because the environment retains heat better. In a conventional hive, this need can rise to more than 20 kg. This clearly shows how much the habitat influences the way bees live, their energy consumption, and therefore their survival.