Teacher and Volunteer Beekeeper Rescues Thousands of Bees from Zagreb's Main Square

Zagreb's central Ban Jelačić Square recently became the unlikely temporary home for thousands of bees, drawing public attention. Fortunately, Damir Vuković, a dedicated volunteer beekeeper and vocational school teacher, was on hand to safely relocate the swarm. This heartwarming intervention showcases the vital, often unseen, work done by volunteers like Vuković to manage urban wildlife and ensure public safety.

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The bees are currently great, they are healthy. I feed them every day and take care of them because there are diseases that can affect the entire community, so it is important to react in time.

Vuković, a member of the "Pčelinjak" Croatian Beekeepers Association, performs these rescues voluntarily under an agreement with the City of Zagreb. When a swarm is reported, the emergency services contact a coordinator who dispatches a volunteer like Vuković. Using a specialized vacuum, he carefully collects the bees, ensuring no harm comes to them or the public, before taking them to his home in Hrvatski Leskovac for observation and care.

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This is not my main job, I work as a teacher in a vocational school. I consider taking care of bees a dear hobby.

This incident highlights the peak season for stray bee swarms, which typically runs from mid-April to July or August. Vuković, who responds to calls every other day on average, sometimes even three times in one day, emphasizes the importance of timely intervention. His commitment, driven by a passion for beekeeping as a hobby, ensures that these vital pollinators are safely managed within the urban environment, demonstrating a unique aspect of Zagreb's community spirit and its relationship with nature.

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We don't know where they came from. The queen bee in a colony where she grew up usually gets the urge to create her own swarm, so she leaves, and about half of the other bees from that colony join her. And so they fly around, looking for a suitable location for their new home. Apparently, they found it on Trg bana Jelačića.