Google Honey Bees

Last summer Google started their Hiveplex. It's four beehives behind 1200 Crittenden. I went to check it out this week and made a little video of it. The bee colonies have grown and are very healthy. According to Google's official blog, many Googlers signed up to be volunteer bee-keepers and last fall they harvested over 400 pounds of raw honey. Everyone who volunteered got to take home a jar of it. I can't wait to hear how much honey they harvest this year.

One of the benefits of having a beehive at Google is that it calls attention to the "Colony Collapse Disorder" that many California beehives faced. Here's a video, Bees on the Brink, that I found that discusses the disorder and some of the potential factors involved.

Google uses goats to keep the grass trimmed nice and short on some of the fields around their campus. That's just so incredibly green of them. And I just love that you see people on matching colorful bicycles all over the place when you're in this part of our city. And I saw a few Google employees taking their dogs out for a stroll while I was visiting. And I watched a Google volleyball game for a few minutes. Google always feels like such a happy place. I love Mountain View and I love that someone's making fresh Mountain View honey.