Getting a taste for honey

By Jemima Laing
BBC Devon

Christopher Smith with his hives

The Holsworthy Honey show has been a fixture of Devon's rural calendar for more than 70 years.

And this year organiser Christopher Smith describes the event as a "celebration in the face of adversity".

Records show that bee-keeping has been a Devon pastime for more than 1,000 years.

But the county can also claim a less illustrious record; it was the first place in the UK that the veroa mite - a huge threat to bee colonies - arrived.

Christopher Smith has 500,000 bees

Its arrival in Torbay in the early 90s signalled the start of a number of problems for the county's bees.

And ever since bee-keepers have been fighting to keep their colonies going. It's a fight that is particularly relevant in Devon - which is believed to have the oldest bee-keeping association in the world.

Christopher, who lives in Chilsworthy, is in no doubt as to their importance.

"It is often said that one in every three mouthfuls of food relies on honey bees for its pollination.

"They play such an important role in our biodiversity."

And while Devon's bee population fared slightly better in 2008 than in the previous couple of years Christopher says there is no room for complacency.

You're never to young to get started

"If we don't do something we will lose our honey bees, there is no about that, and the dire consequences don't bear thinking about."

He recalls vividly the moment he first looked inside a beehive and was hooked.

"I loved it - I can still remember how it felt to see the bees eating their wax cappings and making their way into the world.

"And it's not just about keeping the bees, it's standing with that liquid gold in your hands or burning the wax candles - like we did last night."

"My wife got bored of me going on about how much I wanted to learn more about bee-keeping and booked me on a beginners' course."

That was 12 years ago and he now has between six and eight hives with about 500,000 bees.

"That's half a million bees that wouldn't otherwise be in Devon, but whether you keep bees or not every one of us can play a key role in supporting the honey bee."

Christopher with a jar of "liquid gold"

And that is the message he hopes people will take from the Honey Show where events will include a display of honey in all its forms, beeswax candles and wax craft, photography and of a range of honeys gathered from all over north Devon.

"But above all we'll be celebrating what's good about beekeeping and hopefully we will have a very good day. "

The Holsworthy Branch of Devon Beekeepers Association Honey Show
Saturday 24 October 2009
Methodist Church Hall, Bodmin Street, Holsworthy
11am- 4pm
No entry charge