L’amoureux des abeilles qui sait piquer la curiosité
Rare are these places so imbued with the soul of those who inhabit them. The City of the bee in Viscomtat is one of those. A peaceful and serene place, paradise for bees.
By buying the entire hamlet of Champet in 1985, nestled in the foothills of the Grun de Chignore at an altitude of 600 meters, Alain Benoît à la Guillaume already knew where he wanted to go. Indeed, reluctant to study at school, the Jura native had previously found his way by taking other paths and by dint of evidence. “I discovered beekeeping when I was 17. It was something that suited me. So I could be outside and touch everything. I didn't know yet that I would make it my job. At the time, I was only considering installing a few hives for the bees,” recalls the 63-year-old man.
Touch all
In Champet, 35 years ago, Alain Benoît à la Guillaume finally found the ideal setting to realize his aspirations. A place where the bee is queen and man is welcome. "I had this desire to receive the public in a pleasant environment", sums up the beekeeper.
At home, seated around a coffee, “a little honey in your cup? », the master of the place is not one to count his time. Indeed, in this large room with raw decoration and neat details, the minutes pass like seconds. No doubt, the affable man with the white mane and earring knows how to convey his passion. Of the world of bees he knows everything or almost but knows how to listen to his interlocutor.
A jack of all trades (beekeeper, carpenter, photographer, etc.), Alain Benoît à la Guillaume has therefore transformed Champet, over the years, into a huge hive where today we find material to learn and taste.
Honey in all its forms
From the honey he harvests each year, the beekeeper has developed a range of products that continues to expand: nougats, gingerbread or even chocolates. Honey, it is discussed everywhere in the City of the bee as the smell of this nectar permeates the place.
A honey that he harvests at the whim of the bees.
“What we take is really a surplus, depending on the space left by the beekeeper in the hives, he would almost defend himself. Because the bee has the notion of the seasons. They have the duty to make endless reserves. And in particular make stocks so that the winter bees can feed. »
Militant discourse
Grateful to his workers, the man willingly defends them when it comes to tackling ecological issues. “During my career, I have seen hives die. I attribute this to the insecticides used for corn. The bees don't actually die but will lose their sense of direction and eventually get lost themselves to the chemical particles. These neonicotinoids have been banned since 2018, but corn growers want to be able to use them again,” worries Alain Benoît at Guillaume.
photography enthusiast
With an overly frontal militant discourse, the man chose pedagogy and art to get the message across. Thus was born the Insect Festival 10 years ago. Every year at the City of the bee in Viscomtat, hundreds of visitors take the time to look at these small worlds that surround them. "Those of all insects," says the beekeeper. Because the issues are often the same. »
Highlight of the festival, the photo exhibition, masterfully produced by the beekeeper, magnifies every detail of the moving insects. Photographed in this way, the isolated bee, detached from the swarm, reveals its own personality. It then appears and more than ever as a real living being that needs to be preserved.
A successful bet for Alain Benoît à la Guillaume who definitely has several strings to his bow to pique curiosity.
Practice. The City of the bee, Chamet in Viscomtat. Guided tour every day at 16 p.m. (reservations recommended on 04.73.51.91.13). Product shop open from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 15 p.m. to 19 p.m. Prices: €4,50 (adult), €3,50 (6/12 years old), €4 (students/job seekers), free for children under 6 years old.
