{"id":314832,"date":"2022-09-09T10:37:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T17:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/?p=314832"},"modified":"2022-09-02T10:39:18","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T17:39:18","slug":"something-to-buzz-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/something-to-buzz-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Something to buzz about"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something has been buzzing down at the San Diego Marriot Marquis Marina for quite some time and it looks like it isn\u2019t going to subside.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the Marriott Marquis Marina\u2019s engineering team began a simple beekeeping program on one level of the venue and the idea took off.<\/p>\n

These days at any given time, 150,000 to 350,000 \u201cMarquis Bees\u201d from several hives produce honeycomb used in the hotel\u2019s restaurant, local breweries, and distilleries.<\/p>\n

Helping the Planet<\/strong><\/p>\n

When their honey is not being added to a recipe or a honey-centric beer or cocktail, the Marquis Bees are doing their part to help the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoneybees, bumble bees, and all pollinators are responsible for the development of many plant species that we see today as a result of centuries of cross-pollination. The honeybee alone pollinates up to 80% of wild flora across the globe \u2013 being massively responsible for the spread of flower blossoms making them a sort of artist,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

In the end, the cost of keeping the bees is not that high, and relatively speaking, it is insignificant in comparison to the benefits derived from ensuring that these invaluable pollinators thrive, even in urban spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe economic opportunities that exist from having docile honeybees massively outweigh the cost,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

Big-time Producers<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing to note that docile honeybee colonies, such as the Marquis Bees, will produce minimally, 2.5 gallons of honey annually without encroaching on the bees\u2019 wintertime honey stores.<\/p>\n

However, good weather, strong bee populations, and nearby blossoms will help encourage greater honey yields.<\/p>\n

Also, each hive grows and shrinks through the seasons and around 50,000 bees per hive are at the height of their seasonal population.<\/p>\n

As for the type of honey being produced at the Marriott Marquis Marina, it is considered a wildflower blend as the bees will gather nectar from places like Balboa Park, Coronado, and the many downtown manicured gardens.<\/p>\n

The sustainable program now in its seventh year continues to be a popular one and there are plans to extend it, Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are currently developing an amenity program with Hotel Executive Management that will utilize the honey in various ways making it available for all the guests to consume.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2015, the honey has been primarily used to drive alcohol sales in the Marina Kitchen with the following collaborations:<\/p>\n

Honeycomb Harvest (Honey Cram Ale) \u2013 Monkey Paw Brewing – 2015<\/p>\n

Beehive Black Lager (Shwarzbier) \u2013 Stone Brewing \u2013 Nov 2016<\/p>\n

To Bee or not to Bee (Honey Lemon Golden Ale) \u2013 Pizza Port Brewing \u2013 March 2018<\/p>\n

Rooftop IPA (Honey Citrus IPA) \u2013 Mother Earth Brewing<\/p>\n

Honey, I Drank the Kids (San Diego Extra Pale Ale) \u2013 Thorn Brewing Co.<\/p>\n

Honey Barrel Rum \u2013 Malahat Distilling<\/p>\n

Popularity Soars<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that honeybees are consistently growing in popularity across the planet as they are still the strongest and most silent contributors to the global food supply directly responsible for up to 35% of human-consumed produce.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndirectly, honeybees are used to pollinate plants such as alfalfa, carrots, onions, etc., to create seeds. Alfalfa is an incredibly commonly used food for cattle and therefore, the bees feed not only us, but also the cattle that we eat as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Global Food Supply has been threatened with post-COVID supply chain breakdowns, the awareness around the need for bees and the localization of food production is growing dramatically,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

Beyond the need for bees, he added that they are some of the planet\u2019s most gentle animals (when managed properly) that directly interact with humans.<\/p>\n

Not to mention the number of bee facts is buzzworthy:<\/p>\n

Bees are the only insect that creates food for humans without them being the food.<\/p>\n

Honey does not expire.<\/p>\n

Honeybees can recognize a human face, can count, and understand odd and even numbering.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Executive Chef Rafael (Rafa) Corniel adds honeycomb to a charcuterie board. (Photo courtesy Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recipes and More<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the honey is collected year round it\u2019s only harvested mid-summer, so the bees have enough honey during fall and winter when there is less pollen and nectar.<\/p>\n

As mentioned, the honey is used in a variety of meals by Executive Chef Rafael (Rafa) Corniel, Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney is a great substitute when you want to add little sweetness to some dishes, we like incorporating sweet and spicy when using our honey, for example, we do Aleppo honey carrots for our roasted chicken dish, as well as a fresh honeycomb to pair with our local cheese and charcuterie plates,\u201d Corniel said.<\/p>\n

While the honey is not yet currently sold at the Marriott Marquis Marina, there have been discussions with the executive team as to how it can make this happen for the property to open additional revenue streams and give the guests some of the sweet rooftop abundances, Wilson said.<\/p>\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n

The beehives are taken care of regularly and are maintained by Travis from Bee Leaf USA, a full-service beekeeping company that specializes in the \u201cRescue, Relocation, & Revival of Honeybee Colonies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson added the company also rescues hives (in danger of extermination) from unwanted locations, takes them to the Rural Honeybee Sanctuary in SD County, and rehabilitates the hives until they are stable and become candidates for a beekeeping program like the Marquis Bees.<\/p>\n

Travis, the property\u2019s beekeeper was formerly a Marriott team member before pursuing a career in agriculture, Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Travis Wolfe previously worked at the Marriott before pursuing a career in agriculture. Now, he is back at the Marriott caring for the bees on behalf of Bee Leaf USA. (Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda for U-T photos, photo courtesy Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guest involvement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presently the Marquis Bees cannot be viewed up close by guests but that might change at some point.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hives can be seen from the southeast side of the south tower rooms when looking down onto the parking garage roof,\u201d said Travis Wilson, San Diego Marriot Marquis Marina senior marketing manager.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the hives can be seen from the meeting rooms on the third floor by the executive offices facing east.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis provides a unique opportunity to make a \u2018walk-up\u2019 space for guests to learn about the bees with window decals, mock equipment, or signage to maximize the program from a marketing perspective,\u201d he said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Something has been buzzing down at the San Diego Marriot Marquis Marina for quite some time and it looks like it isn\u2019t going to subside. In 2015, the Marriott Marquis Marina\u2019s engineering team began a simple beekeeping program on one level of the venue and the idea took off. These days at any given time, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":939,"featured_media":314835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11556","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"3","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":""},"jnews_social_meta":{"fb_title":"","fb_description":"","fb_image":"","twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":""},"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11556,11547,11550],"tags":[12835,14051,14050],"class_list":["post-314832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-downtown-news","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-bees","tag-honey","tag-hotel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/939"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}