Beekeeping 101 as it happened
Beekeeping. Who knew that it would be so fascinating, satisfying, and even relaxing? There's something rather hypnotic about looking after and caring for these furry creatures. It's no surprise then that the number of urban beekeepers in London have grown in recent years. Which is ideal considering our inconsistent climate, growth in pesticide use and rural farming which has contributed to the decline in the bee population. However, it's still a very low–key interest and here at the Honey Club, we're determined to share and infect others with our passion.
Which is precisely what out fourth Honey Club event was about. Last night, our honey loving bee expert, Brian McCallum, led the Beekeeping 101 session with the help of the Generators and myself. We learned about every aspect of urban beekeeping. Firstly by getting to know the one and only species of bee on our English island. The honeybee (or Apis Mellifera to be exact). Out of 20 thousand types of bees, the honeybee is the only bee that can actually make honey. In fact, they're the only creature on the planet that can turn nectar into honey, something mankind with all our technology and science still can’t replicate.
What followed was how bees communicate and operate in a hive – mainly through smell andmovement. Since there was an overwhelming amount of guests, the roof was too small to hold us all. So we got up close and personal with the observation hive where we all craned our neck and strained our eyes to find the Queen bee, or see the difference between a 'worker' and a 'drone'.
Next up was a presentation by the Generators about the anatomy of the bee suit - how to wear it? it's role in beekeeping? why it's important? Some eager volunteers from our members also got involved in some dressing up… some more successfully than others.
Then came the best bit – harvesting and tasting some fresh-off-the-hive honey. Luckily our bees have been working incredibly hard this year, despite the trying weather, and produced enough honey to go round. All of our members had a go at harvesting the honey themselves and were taught the process of extracting honey from the comb. Knowing the honey is straight from the hive gave it an even more satisfying taste.
We can learn many things from these tiny creatures. Most importantly, their collective spirit - an aspect we should always strive to understand and replicate. And judging from the amazing turn out of our members last night and the enthusiasm they showed, I think we're getting there.
Thank you everyone for coming on wednesday night and making it such a success.
