Youlgrave bee group was formed in November 2009 to establish community-run hives and help residents learn about bee keeping. It all began with a WI national resolution calling for more attention to the plight of bees in this country. Honey bees are being attacked by pests and diseases which is making them more difficult to keep, and the number of bee keepers is declining accordingly. Was there something we could do to help?
At the beginning of October a meeting was held upstairs at the Farmyard Inn with Mike Cross, Secretary of the Derbyshire Beekeepers Association, as the speaker. Organised by Sustainable Youlgrave, it was standing room only as around 40 people came to hear him talk about the life cycle of the bee, some of the history and methods of bee keeping, and the difficulties bee keepers meet in the form of disease, pests and costs. It was an extremely informative evening.
The talk was followed up by a site visit to the apiary set up by Grindleford Beekeepers last year. Nine of us went to hear Alan Fairbrother and two other members of their bee group talk about how it was formed and what they had needed in the way of equipment and space. We were then treated to a bee keeper at work, hands-on demonstration of bee inspection. They have three hives on one of the Grindleford allotments (themselves only set up three years ago) which are screened by wattle fencing from the surrounding gardens. A fascinating if chilly hour.
Our aim is to encourage the growth of the local bee population by not only keeping bees but by encouraging everyone to grow bee-friendly plants and to cultivate their gardens in a bee-friendly way.
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| Searching for the queen |
Youlgrave bee group was formed in November 2009 to establish community-run hives and help residents learn about bee keeping. It all began with a WI national resolution calling for more attention to the plight of bees in this country. Honey bees are being attacked by pests and diseases which is making them more difficult to keep, and the number of bee keepers is declining accordingly. Was there something we could do to help?
At the beginning of October a meeting was held upstairs at the Farmyard Inn with Mike Cross, Secretary of the Derbyshire Beekeepers Association, as the speaker. Organised by Sustainable Youlgrave, it was standing room only as around 40 people came to hear him talk about the life cycle of the bee, some of the history and methods of bee keeping, and the difficulties bee keepers meet in the form of disease, pests and costs. It was an extremely informative evening.
The talk was followed up by a site visit to the apiary set up by Grindleford Beekeepers last year. Nine of us went to hear Alan Fairbrother and two other members of their bee group talk about how it was formed and what they had needed in the way of equipment and space. We were then treated to a bee keeper at work, hands-on demonstration of bee inspection. They have three hives on one of the Grindleford allotments (themselves only set up three years ago) which are screened by wattle fencing from the surrounding gardens. A fascinating if chilly hour.
Our aim is to encourage the growth of the local bee population by not only keeping bees but by encouraging everyone to grow bee-friendly plants and to cultivate their gardens in a bee-friendly way.
