Bees living on Notre Dame cathedral's roof survived fire
The 180,000 bees living atop Notre Dame cathedral were discovered alive Friday.
Nicholas Geant, the bees’ keeper since 2013, has been fretting over the fate of his “kids” since the devastating fire that left much of the structure damaged Monday.
Previously, satellite pictures had only shown images of the hives — but Geant was left wondering if the bees had survived.
Geant told CNN Friday he got a call from Andre Finot, Notre Dame’s spokesperson, who said bees were seen “flying in and out of the hives.”
“I am so relieved. I saw satellite photos that showed the three hives didn’t burn. I thought they had gone with the cathedral," Geant told the Associated Press.
The bees, housed in hives located about 100 feet below the cathedral’s main roof, were installed as part of a citywide initiative in Paris to aid the declining bee population.
“They weren’t in the middle of the fire, had they been they wouldn’t have survived,” Geant told CNN. “The hives are made of wood so they would have gone up in flames.”
Bees do not have lungs, Geant said, so rather than being killed by the carbon dioxide, they are put in a “sedated state.” Bees gorge themselves on honey to protect the queen when they detect fire.
“Now I know there’s activity it’s a huge relief!” Geant told CNN.
“Thank goodness the flames didn’t touch them. It’s a miracle!”
With News Wire Services