Beehives return to park after 60 years

BEEHIVES will be returning to a Cardiff park after more than 60 years since honey was produced there.

The buzzing of bumble bees was once a familiar sound in Bute Park when honey was supplied to the wealthy Bute family and their guests at Cardiff Castle.

And now thanks to private donations by two individuals, Bute Park will be producing honey once again.

Hives have been set up with the help of beekeepers Nature’s Little Helpers, which has been mentoring parks employees.

Bute Park Honey will now be available to buy directly from the Bute Park Education Centre and the Pettigrew Tea Rooms.

Councillor Peter Bradbury, cabinet member for culture and leisure, said: “Bute Park’s 56 hectares are home to a vast array of plants, flowers, shrubs and trees, so it’s a great place to make honey.

“We’re lucky to have Bute Park right in the heart of the city, which is why protecting and enhancing it, and the other fantastic parks we have across Cardiff for future generations is so important.”

Part of doing that is ensuring they have a more commercial, self-sustaining approach.

“Honey production is a good example of how that can work – the hives provide a new resource that can be used for public engagement and education, supported by the money made from selling the honey.”

The council said it was also helping to protect and conserve bee populations in the city through the use of the two hives and increased planting of pollinator friendly species.

Honey is available in 454g jars for £6.95, 227g jars for £4.95, and 100g jars, for £2.50.