Beekeeping
Calling all buzzing nature-lovers! If you care about bees, why not try…
All across the country, people are going bee-crazy. These stripy insects are cherished because they help pollinate our plants. They help spread the pollen needed for fruit and vegetable plants to grow. This means that they’re not just good for making honey, they’re also behind much of the food we eat.
However, bees are now dying off at an alarming rate because of pests, pesticides (chemicals used to kill pests) and the destruction of their natural habitats. That’s why schools across the country are doing their bit to make sure bees don’t go extinct, for example, by planting wildflower meadows in their school grounds.
Meanwhile, many people are taking up beekeeping – owning and breeding bees in hives for their honey.
If you’d like to try your hand at keeping bees, a good place to start is the British Beekeepers Association website – bbka.org.uk – where you can look up your nearest beekeeping club. There are more than 75 local area associations that can advise you on what you need to buy, the courses you can take and where to get your bees.
Looking after bees involves a lot of different equipment and activities. Beekeepers need to regularly inspect their insects and make sure that the queen bee – who runs the hive and is the mother of most of the bees – is laying plenty of eggs. Then there’s the job of building and protecting the hive, treating the bees to get rid of pests, and feeding them. And, of course, there’s harvesting honey and putting it into jars ready to eat – and if you’re feeling creative, harvesting wax to make into beeswax candles.