Wild Honey 2022 banner with Amber the orangutan

Wild Honey

Did you know the Louisville Zoo keeps honey bees? That’s right, the bees you see buzzing around the Zoo aren’t wild, but are instead curated by our team of animal specialists. These bees play an important role in our ecosystem as pollinators and help keep the plants at the Zoo healthy! A limited amount of honey is harvested from these hives and is available to purchase at special events and fundraisers. Not only does this honey taste sweet, it is also a sweet way to help support your Zoo, and the bees which help keep our ecosystem healthy.

Louisville’s Wildest Honey will taste slightly different from year to year since honey’s taste is based on whatever plants the bees have access to. For the 2022 edition, we have decided to honor our orangutan, Amber. Amber is a 34-year-old orangutan that lives in the Islands! Fruit, bark, leaves, insects and honey are all part of the natural diets of these iconic great apes.

Why BEE Green?

According to National Geographic 40% of insect species might be in decline. Bees and other insect pollinators are critical for many plant species’ survival. The protection and cultivation of pollinators is critical to ensure a future for our planet. The exact cause of this decline is unknown, but studies have pointed toward pollution and the over-use of pesticides as possible causes. If you want to support bees, try to limit your use of poisons and pesticides as they are likely to affect “good” insects like bees just as much as the pests they target. Also, garden native plants and flowers to allow spaces for pollinators to forage, and always try to create as little pollution and waste as possible. By creating a more friendly space for bees, we can help not only these beneficial insects but ourselves as well; a more balanced environment means healthier air, water and food for human beings as well as our six-legged friends.