Vicenç Martorell, the beekeeper of Marimurtra, retires

Vicenç Martorell has been the beekeeper of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden for nearly twenty years. Taking advantage of the fact that he is now retired, he has explained to us how the honey in the Garden project began, how it is made and also the obstacles he has encountered during all this time.

In 2003, taking advantage of the fact that the environmental and pollination conditions were right to go ahead with the installation of hives, the first space for bees was created in the Garden, with a dozen hives. Gradually, it has been increased to the current 18 hives, where approximately 40,000 bees live in each box. The sale of honey has also increased in recent years in the Garden: a total of 1,080 jars of Marimurtra honey, equivalent to more than 500 kilos, have been sold in 2024.

The main problems that Vicenç Martorell has encountered over the years are: drought, varroa – a mite that attacks bees – cochineal and the arrival of Asian wasps, which have reduced the production of honey in recent years. In these cases he has had to use his ingenuity to create protections or artificial swarms to save the bees.

In Marimurtra, pollinating bees play a very important role, both in their function of producing honey and in the conservation of species biodiversity. Martorell highlights the quality of the honey extracted from Marimurtra: “it tastes very good, special, exotic, thanks to the great diversity of flowers in the Garden”. Marimurtra honey is a very popular product: 100% natural, organic and contains no additives or preservatives. For this reason, in 2021 it was awarded the Girona Excellent seal of quality.