There's a moment from this summer that I won't soon forget: standing next to professional beekeeper Michael Sautter at the Henry Ford II World Center in Dearborn, protective veil pulled down, watching him lift a frame heavy with honeybees.

When one landed on my sleeve, I couldn’t help but think about what this small-but-mighty creature said about Ford’s commitment to building a better world.

Beehives at Ford isn’t actually a new idea.

Years ago, hives once buzzed at the Glass House and the Rouge Complex, but the program was paused during the pandemic. Last year, a team at the Rouge reintroduced bees to its Visitor Center hives, and the success of this effort inspired our Dearborn team to ask, “Why not here, too?”

Today, Ford hosts 12 honeybee hives across the Rouge Complex and at the Henry Ford II World Center, where six new hives were established this past April. Each can grow to house up to 60,000 bees at the height of summer, and together, they're expected to produce somewhere between 800 and 1,400 pounds of honey this season.

But the honey is only part of a much bigger story — one about pollinators, biodiversity, and what's possible when a manufacturing giant decides to make room for nature.

An Oasis for Biodiversity in an Industrial Landscape

Honeybees are among the world’s most productive pollinators.

According to beekeeper Michael Sautter, a single honeybee hive might have up to 20,000 foragers that pollinate plants. (By comparison, a bumblebee colony only has between 15 and 150.)

Their pollination power radiates in every direction — from 3 to 5 miles.

This has a profoundly positive impact on the surrounding trees and plants, which depend on pollination to reproduce and support a healthy ecosystem. But can an industrial complex really sustain a healthy honeybee colony?

When Ford approached Michael two years ago through the Michigan Beekeepers Association to support the Rouge’s efforts, he had his doubts.

“At first, we weren’t sure there was enough nectar and pollen for the bees to forage in the area,” he told us.

“But the bees, and Ford, proved us wrong.”

Last year, the Rouge hives produced more than 400 pounds of honey, and this year, Michael expects that number to climb to 600-700 pounds. That success comes down to habitat.

“This is the piece people most often overlook,” Michael said. “The bees need places to forage.”

It turned out that the sunflower plantings, native pollinator gardens, and “living lab” orchard outside the Rouge Visitor Center helped ensure that all kinds of pollinators were able to coexist right alongside industry.

Shining a Spotlight on the Importance of Pollinators

Following the Rouge team’s blueprint, we introduced hives in April 2026 on the Henry Ford II World Center campus. And on July 23, we invited employees for an on-site event to check them out, taste some honey, and meet Michael. He loved every minute of it.

“There were some really well-thought-out questions from people who attended,” he said. “One of the best things about having the beehives at Ford is that it brings attention to the importance of pollinators.”

Managing 12 hives across two sites isn’t a “set it and forget it” operation, either. Michael visits weekly, sometimes twice, checking for mites, disease, and the ever-present risk of swarming.

“When you have multiple hives, it’s like a soap opera,” he told us. “Every hive has something happening on any given day, and it’s up to you to figure out what it is and deal with it.”

This meticulous, hands-on work is key to ensuring that the bees stay healthy yearround.

What’s Next

The success of the Dearborn beehives is already catching on. Over at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, environmental control engineer Jason Bennett is leading the effort to bring in their own hives.

“We recently installed a prairie garden at the facility entrance, creating an ideal habitat to support pollinators,” he said.

“Incorporating beehives into this space is a natural extension of this work, and it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship.”

To support other Ford teams who want to host hives, those of us who have been part of the Rouge and Henry Ford II World Center projects are compiling everything we've learned — from site selection to flight-path planning to seasonal maintenance — into a best-practices guide.

We’re also planning to donate honey that’s being produced to local community food banks.

But, at the end of the day, it’s not just about the honey.

Beyond raising awareness of the critical role that pollinators play in the ecosystem, we hope these projects will offer a meaningful way for employees and the community to be a part of positive change.

As Kim Cole from the Rouge team put it, our honeybee hives are “a tangible symbol of environmental stewardship.”

They’re a living, buzzing reminder that biodiversity and industry don't have to be at odds. They can thrive, side by side.

Stephen Lipshaw is a member of the Ford College Graduate Program on the sustainability team.