Consileon supports bee paradise in Brandenburg

Even an IT consulting company can get involved in nature conservation!

Have you noticed that there are fewer bees this year? More than every fifth colony did not survive the winter 2021 /2022. On the one hand, this is due to the bad weather last year. On the other hand, it has been known for years that insect populations are declining nationwide – due to the increased use of pesticides in agriculture as well as a lack of food sources for the small animals.

Environmental protection and FIANTEC – how do they fit together?

At Consileon, we want to shape the future, and that includes taking responsibility for our environment. That’s why, even before Covid, we made an effort to avoid flights in order to reduce our ecological footprint. We are also involved in sustainability projects such as atmosfair.
The fact that we are passionate about bees and want to help protect them is thanks to two colleagues at our subsidiary FIANTEC, which offers software for commission accounting and consulting. Stefan Plagemann, head of sales at FIANTEC, is involved in beekeeping in his spare time. What started a few years ago as a gimmick with one colony of bees has now developed into a weekend-filling activity with 20 colonies.
His FIANTEC colleague Paul Klemke, Head of Customer Service and Support, runs a farm with his father in Brandenburg, east of Berlin. Agricultural policy stipulates that farmers must leave five percent (as much as 10 percent since 2022) of arable land fallow to allow the soil to recover from demanding cultivation. To give the unused fields a purpose, Paul Klemke and his father sow annual flower mixtures there, which are plowed under again in the fall and serve as fertilizer for the soil.

A win-win-win situation

“Paul asked me if I would like to put a few of my bee boxes in his bee pastures,” says Stefan Plagemann. “I was immediately enthusiastic about the idea. And to make sure that the work we put into it pays off a little bit, these bee pastures are leased out. Nature-loving people and companies can thus support the environment, bees and farmers and receive some honey as a thank you.”

Karlsruhe-based Consileon Business Consultancy has leased 600 units for the second time in 2022. The money benefits Paul Klemke’s father, and Stefan Plagemann’s bees are happy to have a natural, ideal habitat. Some of the honey is filled into small 250g jars at the end of the season and given away to customers with a special Consileon label. A win-win-win situation.

“The fields change every year. But the flower mix is always the same,” says the passionate amateur beekeeper. “There’s borage, money mustard, phacelia, cornflowers and more in bloom. Depending on the weather, some thrive more, others less. That’s why the taste of the honey is different every year.” For 2022, Stefan Plagemann expects a relatively strong honey.

As a migratory beekeeper, he always moves his hives to where there are lots of blossoms and flowers at the moment. He usually moves within a 20-kilometer radius to do so. For the rich bee pastures of farmer Klemke, he likes to drive even longer, about 70 kilometers.

Health tip: Never put honey in hot drinks

“It’s a very time-consuming hobby. Bees swarm during the day. That means you can only go early in the morning or at night when all the bees are in the hive. In addition, I have to look through all the hives every weekend, take out combs with crystallized honey, check the condition of the colony, divide colonies and, if necessary, take action against harmful mites,” says Stefan Plagemann, but leaves no doubt that the effort is worth it: “In the end, you get an absolutely pure natural product with many valuable bioactive substances and antioxidants. But what many people don’t know: These health-promoting substances break down at temperatures above 40 degrees. That’s why you should never put a spoonful of honey in a freshly brewed tea, but always wait until it has cooled down to drinking temperature.”

During the main beekeeping season from May to August, while others are at the quarry pond, Stefan Plagemann and his partner go to their bees every weekend. “I am proud to be able to make an active contribution to nature conservation. And am very pleased that Consileon supports the bee pastures.”

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