How a swarm of native bees found a home at Dubai’s Expo City and sparked a new push for urban beekeeping

Dubai: When construction crews were assembling the Terra Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site in 2019, they noticed something unexpected taking shape within the steel framework: a swarm of bees had made the unfinished structure its home.

Rather than removing the insects, the team took a different approach. The colony was carefully relocated with the help of the Beekeepers Foundation. What followed surprised even conservationists. The bees were identified as native to the UAE and years later, their descendants are thriving.

Today, that once-modest swarm has grown into a flourishing population of 30,000 bees, producing honey and pollinating plants at Terra, Expo City Dubai. Their survival has sparked a mission to make urban beekeeping central to Dubai’s biodiversity.

A global decline and a local response

Across the world, bee populations are in decline. Native bee species, in particular, are under increasing pressure from habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.

In response, Terra is launching its first Novice Beekeeping Course, a five-day, hands-on programme designed to introduce participants to hive care, pollination science and urban biodiversity.

The course begins Sunday, January 18, 2026, and runs weekly, offering a rare opportunity to learn beekeeping in an urban environment that actively supports native species.

Meet the ‘Bee Fairy Lady’

The course is led by Dr. Meriem Hammal, a certified apiculturist and scientist affectionately known within the beekeeping community as the “Bee Fairy Lady”.

Originally from Algeria, Dr. Hammal did not begin her career with bees. She first trained in small animal surgery, before a chance connection at university changed her path. One of her professors was a beekeeper, and repeated visits to his apiary sparked a fascination that soon became a lifelong passion.

She went on to complete a master’s degree in beekeeping, followed by a PhD specialising in native honey bee species in the Middle East. Now, she is bringing her expertise to Terra through Novice Beekeeping Course, which blends practical training, classroom learning and guided field trips.

Why this course matters

“There are over 20,000 bee species worldwide but only seven produce honey,” Dr. Hammal explains. “All the others are essential because of pollination.”

In the UAE, she warns, native bee species are under threat due to genetic pollution, largely caused by the introduction of non-native bees.

“We are starting to lose our native species,” she says. “This course will help people and help us to better understand native bees, protect them, and try to bring them back so they can repopulate the area.”

Bees play a critical role far beyond honey production. They pollinate around one-third of the world’s food, making them essential to food security and ecosystem health.

In a rapidly expanding city like Dubai, Terra’s approach offers a compelling alternative - reintroducing pollinators into urban life, rather than pushing them out.

“Bees pollinate around 75 per cent of our fruit and vegetables,” Dr Hammal says. “Without native bee species, there would be no life.”

Why native bees are under threat

Climate change is reshaping ecosystems globally, and bees are no exception. Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect the blooming cycles of plants, reducing the availability of food sources bees rely on to survive.

Human activity poses an even greater risk.

“Bees have many predators,” Dr Hammal says, “but the biggest one is humans. The insecticides and pesticides we use to kill other insects also kill pollinators, the very insects that help us grow food.”

Globally, about 35 per cent of crops depend on pollinators, increasing food production by an estimated 24 per cent.

Crops that rely heavily on bees include citrus fruits, berries, apples, almonds, cashews and macadamias, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, as well as oilseeds like canola and sunflowers. Even global staples such as coffee and cocoa depend on pollination.

What makes the Terra bees different

The apiary at Terra is located within the Jane Goodall Pollinator Garden, a purpose-built habitat designed to support pollinators with melliferous flowers and freshwater sources.

It is home to two thriving beehives, each housing more than 15,000 UAE-native bees. The garden was inaugurated by Dr Jane Goodall on January 27, 2025.

Unlike most honey-producing bees in the region - which are often imported from Egypt, Terra’s bees belong to Apis mellifera jemenitica, a species native to the Arabian Peninsula.

The original colony discovered during construction in 2019 consisted of just 2,000 bees. After being carefully reintroduced in October 2024, the population doubled within three months.

Rethinking the fear around bees

One of the programme’s key goals is to challenge common misconceptions about bees, particularly in urban settings.

“In Dubai, urban beekeeping is possible,” Dr Hammal says. “But people are often afraid.”

She explained that residents sometimes discover bees or even a hive in their gardens or balconies and panic.

“If you see bees, don’t call pest control,” she advised. “If they are not in a place where they can harm you, such as high in a tree or somewhere unreachable, just leave them.”

Finding bees at home can actually be a good sign.

“If bees come to your backyard, it means your home is rich in flowers,” she says. “You can help by providing water - a shallow tray with some rocks so they have a safe, clean water source.”

Terra’s wider role in urban biodiversity

The beekeeping course builds on Terra’s growing role as a living laboratory for sustainability, public education and environmental stewardship.

It complements initiatives such as the Jane Goodall Pollinator Garden and the 100 Hives programme, which aims to integrate urban beekeeping into schools, parks and community spaces across Dubai, in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

“Beekeeping isn’t just about honey,” Dr Hammal says. “It’s about restoring balance. Pollinators like bees are essential to ecosystems, and they thrive when we make space for them. This course teaches people how to do just that with respect, confidence and care.”

Course details

• Duration: Five days across five weeks

• Dates: Sundays from January 19 to February16, 2026

• Time: 9am – 12pm

• Location: Terra, Expo City Dubai

• Eligibility: Ages nine and above, including adults

• Price: Dh2,200 per person (inclusive of VAT)

• Registration & information: terra.expocitydubai.com/en/poi/novice-beekeeping-course

The programme includes five core training sessions and three optional field trips with expert beekeepers across the UAE. Participants will receive a certificate of completion.

By the end of the course, students will learn how to:

• Set up and manage a beehive

• Conduct hive inspections and monitor colony health

• Identify native melliferous plants and seasonal foraging patterns

• Prevent and treat common bee diseases and pests

• Harvest honey ethically and safely

• Understand pollination’s role in ecosystems and food systems

• Join a growing community of beekeepers and biodiversity advocates