Beekeeping

 

 
Beekeeping is an ancient craft and agricuiltural activity, but many people stll enjoy it today, either for the honey and beeeswax, or simply for the love of the honey bee. Some 44,000 beekeepers manage over 250,000 hives in the UK. They produce about 6,000 tonnes of honey a year and each hive is worth about £600 to the UK economy
 
If you are considering having bees in your garden or on an allotment, for that matter, a fantastic resource is Beeginners.  This site will get you buzzing with excitement (along with the bees on it).  It is well written and has lots of helpful information about getting started;  day to day maintenance;  removing your honey crop; problems and more

The Beginners section has practical advice & tips - discover the answers to questions such as...
  • will bees mark my washing?
  • will I get stung? 
  • will they annoy the neighbours or my pets?
  • how many hives can I have in my garden? 
  • do I need a licence?
  • what equipment will I need?
  • what do I do with bad tempered bees?help with swaming problems
The British Beekeepers Association gives you an opportunity to get used to bees before taking a dive into ownership. There are also regional, national and local events for you to get stuck into, as well as evening classes and weekend conferences. 
 
Bees are disappearing.  But Bees Matter.

Why are bees important?  They pollinate a third of all the foods we eat. Bees are disappearing because of disease, changing weather patterns, pesticides and loss of habitat.

Help bees by giving them back some of their habitat - find out more from the RSPB

You can also take part in the Great British Bee Count from 19 May to 30 June, 2017.  This is organised by Friends of the Earth and the charity Buglife.  It's a matter of counting and recording the bees you see on their app.  The results of the previous count are here - nearly 400,000 bees were spotted!   Please get stuck in and counting...  Sign up here for free
beekeeper
 
Find out more at:
  
BeeCraft Journal for Beekeepers, the Beekeeping Journal for Beginners and Seasoned Apiarists.  Beekeeping information, shop and UK courses on all aspects of Beekeeping.
 
 
Bumblebee Conservation Trust - protecting the bumblebee.  Bee kind in your garden to bumblebees - find out how here

Gift experience company Into the Blue have a Beekeepker for the Day experience in East Sussex which could be a great gift for anyone who's always wanted to know more about bee keeping and what's involved.   Click here for more info