Getting the buzz for beekeeping

Paul Peacock with trainee beekeeper Rowena Pyott.

An army of beekeepers is being recruited in Manchester as part of a hive-point plan to save the British honey bee.

The worldwide decline in bee populations has left conservationists deeply worried because of their important role in pollinating our crops and plants.

In a bid to reverse the trend locally, Manchester beekeeper Paul Peacock has been given the task of training a new generation of urban beekeepers at a new apiary in Wythenshawe Park.

Funding for the project has come from The Co-operative in Manchester as part of its Plan Bee Campaign to encourage more people to keep bees.

So far, up to 50 novices have been given the training, a hive and the bees to set up colonies on allotments across Manchester. And there are plans to expand the scheme into city parks and schools.

To find out more about the beekeeping training plan, go to: BeeTowns.com

Honey

Paul is also trialling a new lightweight plastic hive which he believes will make it easier for beginners to keep bees.

Nature's number one pollinating machine appears to be breaking down and no-one knows for sure why. Paul Monaghan, The Co-operative

"Beekeeping can be strenuous work," he said. "Traditional hives are heavy and can be difficult to handle, the new hives are very functional and more importantly are much lighter than traditional ones."

The new plastic hive, known as 'the beehaus', has been developed with this in mind but also to make it easier for the novice apiarist. Manufacturers Omlet claim that in a good year, a single hive could yield up to 100kg of honey.

But bees do more than just make honey. They fly around pollinating all sorts of fruit and vegetables which end up on our plates.

However, worrying falls in bee populations have been reported in the US and across Europe. In the UK, around one third of honey bee hives were lost in the winter of 2007/08.

Possible explanations have ranged from the Varroa mite and the spread of a virus to the use of certain pesticides. But the real cause remains a mystery.

'Ambassadors'

Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals at The Co-operative said: "Nature's number one pollinating machine appears to be breaking down and no-one knows for sure why."

"That's why we want to encourage people to become ambassadors for the honeybee and one way to do that is to create a new army of beekeepers."

Putting Plan Bee into action this autumn, The Co-operative plans to raise awareness of the plight of the bee by supporting a new film "The Vanishing of the Bees."

The Co-operative is also funding the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association (BIBBA) to map locations of native black honeybees and their hybrids that may hold the key to reversing the decline in the UK's honeybee population.