Keeping bees on the allotment
'Over a third of the food we eat depends on plants being pollinated by insects, including bees'. *
We are lucky to have two beehives at both Sarisbury and Hunts Pond Road allotment sites. Both have been very successful and good quantities of honey have been produced at Sarisbury. The advantages of keeping bees are many, in particular:
- They produce honey, wax and collect pollen
- They provide a valuable pollinating resource for gardeners and wild plants
- They support local food production and this adds to increasing the quality and flavour
But you cannot just place beehives on your plot without consulting with your Site Manager. The folk at Hunts Pond Road have completed a risk assessment to mitigate any issues arising from keeping bees on site. There are also strict guidelines to follow; these set out the process to follow and the actions that have to be taken prior to formal approval being given by the Allotment Association. Follow the links below to find out more information:
British Beekeepers Association
Guidance to prospective beekeepers who wish to place beehives on WWAA allotment sites
* Did you know? Here are some interesting facts about honey bees:
- They have five eyes
- They don't hibernate in winter, but they do slow down and huddle together for warmth
- They can carry half their weight in pollen
- They need to fly the equivalent of twice around the world to collect enough nectar to make a jar of honey
- They do a 'waggle dance' to show other bees where to find food
- Honey is nectar that bees have repeatedly regurgitated and dehydrated
- Honey bees represent only a tiny fraction of the 20,000-odd known species of bees.
[Source - National Trust Magazine - Spring 2016]