There’s a buzz on Teesside as a new generation of beekeepers are earning their stripes at a brand new apiary.
At the edge of the Stockton’s Ropner Park, a series of hives have been established specifically for beginner beekeepers. Each week the trainee apiarists head to inspect their hives under the guidance of experienced members of Cleveland Beekeepers Association (CBKA).
I donned a beesuit and went along to meet Ian Peacock from CBKA who built the apiary as well as the new beekeepers to hear first hand what made them take up the hobby. Before I arrived, I admit to assuming the beekeepers would be mainly older men.
How wrong I was. The first trainee I meet is 24-year-old Sian who gets out of her car and beams with excited anticipation at seeing her bees. Her boot is packed with equipment and as she gets her suit on we chat about what attracted her to beekeeping. “I did the Introduction to Beekeeping course in March and I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of theory and by the end of the course I really wanted to take it up. This new apiary is great because it is specifically for newbies like me.
“It has been really positive for me. I can overthink things and I find that it has helped my mental health a lot. When I am with the bees, I have to focus and be present - I leave any problems I have at the gate and for the time I am here I am totally focussed on the bees.”
The course Sian mentions is the annual eight week course run by CBKA and they also run a one day taster course for people to dip their toe and see if it appeals. Stockton Council has provided CBKA with the apiary site and this joint working has seen the partnership win a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Bees’ Need Champion award.
Also on the introductory course with Sian was 30-year-old Sophie and the pair havebecome great friends over the past months. Their hives sit side by side and they spendthe morning supporting each other and talking all things bees.
Sophie tells me why she decided to take up beekeeping. “I am not at all sporty and I am dreadful at anything arty or crafty,” she says. “I wanted to take up a hobby that would make me feel good about myself and this has been fantastic. I wanted to feel part of a community and I have got just that with this.”
As they inspect their hives of honey bees, they are given advice and support from both Ian and fellow CBKA member Paul Berriman who took up beekeeping four years ago. He happily concedes that once you start beekeeping you can become a bit of a ‘beebore’. He says: “You just can’t understand why everyone wouldn’t find bees as fascinating as we do! Being serious though, it is really positive to see younger peopletaking it up.”
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This sentiment is shared by Ian who talks to the trainees and offers gentle encouragement and praise. He has his seven hives down at nearby Tees Barrage and the honey from his bees is sold by San Seb Coffee who are based by the River Tees. It is thought they are the only known ‘River Bees’ in the country. Ian has been beekeeping for a decade and is a hive of information. He tells me a queen bee can lay up to 2,500 eggs in a day and at the height of summer, a worker bee will be worked to death in just five days.
Back at the apiary, I chat to Becky who is one of the new cohort. She is a teacher and wants to learn about bees with a view to establishing a hive at her school in the future. She says: “Bees are so important to the planet but that is still not known enough. There needs to be more education as bees are vital but people just don’t realise that.”
According to Friends of the Earth, around 13 species of bees have already been lost in the UK and 35 other species are at risk. They face threats such as climate change, habitat loss, toxic pesticides and disease.
Back in Stockton, Sian and Sophie continue checking their hives and tell me they have both named their queen bees. Sophie has named hers Margaret while Sian has opted for Judy after her nan! The queens are marked with a coloured dot to make identification easier. There are 11 hives on the site and two have already produced honey.
As well as learning about bees, the trainees are also gaining other skills. Sian explains how she has been perfecting erecting wooden frames for the hives, roping in friends and family to help.
“I just love everything about beekeeping,” says Sian. “Everyone in the Association is so supportive - we have group chats to ask for advice and you can get different bits of equipment from members at a lower cost than buying new. It really is a lovely community.”
As well as providing the dedicated space for the apiary, Stockton Council has implemented a ‘No Mow Summer’ scheme to encourage biodiversity as well as protect, extend and connect areas of natural habitat and help address the decline in native species.
If you want to do your bit to encourage more bees to where you live, DEFRA suggest these simple ways to attract more pollinating insects at home:
● Grow more nectar rich flowers, shrubs and trees. Window or balcony boxes are
good options if you don’t have a garden.
● Let patches of garden and land grow wild
● Cut grass less often
● Do not disturb insect nests and hibernation spots
● Think carefully about whether to use pesticides
It’s clear from the apiary in Stockton that a new generation of beekeepers are doing their bit to protect the bee population and they are absolutely buzzing about it!
