Press Releases

LANCASTER BEEKEEPERS

 

Lancaster Beekeepers launch their new honey bee apiary

 

Lancaster Beekeepers are taking exciting steps to safeguard our honey bees with the opening of a new bee apiary where both new and experienced beekeepers can learn, brush up their bee-keeping skills and improve their bee husbandry.

'Cutting the ribbon' will be by Martin Smith, President of the British Beekeepers Association, with representatives from funders and members of Lancaster Beekeepers, who have helped to make this project happen.

The apiary (the term for an area of bee hives) has two aims; first, to provide opportunities for hands on training of both new and experienced beekeepers. Secondly to breed stocks of a local black bee, suited to our environment. The hope is that these activities will positively impact on local bee health by improving beekeeping practices and reducing the need to import bees from other areas.

QUOTE from chair

"Having a club apiary will enable us to provide better quality and more diverse training for both beginners and developing beekeepers. It will also help us to make an active contribution to the national drive to improve the quality of bee husbandry and reduce the introduction and spread of diseases and parasite"

Our honey bee is an important pollinator and a critical part of food production. It is challenged by the changing patterns of agriculture, increased use of pesticides and global disease spread. Increasingly beekeepers need to know more about how to look after bees better.

The UK's honeybee population has more than doubled, largely due to a steady rise in the number of people taking up beekeeping following the widespread publicity over the plight of the honeybee. It is estimated that there are now more than 100,000 colonies of honey bees in the country, more than twice as many as in 2007 when concerns were first raised. During that period membership of Lancaster Beekeepers has increased to over 140 members.

Funding for the Lancaster apiary came from a number of sources with local members putting in time to build the current facilities which now house 6 colonies of almost pure local black bees. It is hoped colony numbers will be doubled in 2011.

The apiary will make it easier for new bee keepers to practice handling bees before having their own hives and to 'home grow' Lancaster bees which are more adapted to local conditions.

Additional Information

Honey bees play a key role in food security, local food production and sustaining the natural environment through the pollination of many crops and some wild flowers. The value of their pollination of commercial crops has been estimated at between £120 -200 m annually.

Honey bees are susceptible to serious pests and disease threats. The risks of reduced honey bees colonies has led the government to launch the Healthy Bees Plan in 2009 and for investment in research to understand how to keep bees healthy and the most successful approaches to treatment.

 

Bee keepers

As well as some 200-300 commercial bee farmers, there are some 33,000 hobbyist beekeepers, who pursue the craft for interest and environmental concerns. Bee keepers need specialist support to promote and manage bee health and work collaboratively with FERA (Food Environmental Research Agency)

 

Challenges to bee keepers

Pests and diseases affecting honey bees have increased significantly in the UK over the last 5 to 10 years, with loss of colonies due to infestations of the varroa mite having increased since 2001. These mites are developing resistance to some chemical treatments and can spread from colony to colony and apiary to apiary without good bio-security practices.

 

Role of the public

With increased coverage by the media on the importance of the honey bee to our ecology and food production, more people are being fascinated by these wonderful creatures and how they organise their lives. The public can contribute to the welfare of the honey bee by growing bee friendly plants throughout the year, to provide forage for bees and other pollinators. They can also lobby politicians and potential research funders to give more priority to this critical part of the food chain. Schools are also getting more involved in running schemes which help children understand the importance of bees and other insects in the natural world.

 

History of Lancaster Beekeepers

The Lancaster branch of The Lancashire and North West Beekeepers Association was formed in 1942, and became an associate of the British Beekeepers Association in its own right and a registered charity in 2010.

Lancaster Beekeepers is a growing group of hobbyist beekeepers, with more than 140 local members. The Club will be celebrating its 70th anniversary next year.

Funding for the apiary

Lancaster Beekeepers are grateful for the financial support that we have received from Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Government Sustainable Development Fund), the Robert Clutterbuck Charitable Trust and Naturesave with discounts on equipment from Honeycomb Ltd, Pennine Bee Farms.

Revenue funding is raised through the training courses with practical training for beginners, intermediate training for developing beekeepers and one or two specialist courses for experienced beekeepers.

 

Contact

Fred Ayres: Chairman 01524 811978

 
 

LANCASTER BEEKEEPERS AT PICCADILLY GARDEN SUMMER FAIR

Headline:

BRINGING PLANTS, BEES & THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER

at PICCADILLY GARDEN'S SUMMER FAIR

SATURDAY 11TH JUNE: 11 am – 3 pm

@ Piccadilly Garden, Scotforth, Lancaster LA1 5AA

Come and meet with Lancaster Beekeepers to find out more about keeping bees, bee products and bee plants, whilst supporting Piccadilly Garden's summer fair. Local beekeepers will be on hand to show bees at work in an observation hive, how to extract wax from bee comb with local honey and beeswax for sale. There will also be a demonstration of how a hive is made and information about the training programme Lancaster Beekeepers provide for people who are interested in becoming beekeepers.

All this - along side art and craft stalls, great raffle prizes and a FREE sunflower and FREE ADMISSION.

Andrea Crook, Piccadilly Garden manager says,

'Piccadilly's summer fairs are a really good day out for all the family. We want you to come and have fun, see what we do and enjoy looking round the great stalls and take part in the games we have on offer. All funds raised on the day help support the continuation of the work we do, supporting people with a variety of needs. Hope to see you on the 11th June'

Fred Ayres, chair of Lancaster Beekeepers, comments,

'There is a lot involved in keeping bees and we offer a range of training programmes to ensure that people gain the necessary skills to do this successfully and safely. Some of these skills will be on display. You can help bees without keeping them yourself by being aware of their needs and making your garden bee friendly. Our members will be delighted to explain how.'

The summer fair is an important event for Piccadilly Garden. It's an opportunity for the local community to find out more about the important work this social enterprise provides for people with learning disability and their carers. It's a chance to promote the services the centre offers in and around Lancaster and Morecambe, as well as raising important funding.

Lancaster Beekeepers and Piccadilly Garden are teaming up, bringing together flowering plants and their pollinators, and showing how the local community can help to support and get more involved.

Take this opportunity to chat with local beekeepers and find out more about our local honeybees and why they have such an important in keeping our honey bee colonies healthy and busy. Richard Wilson, Education Officer at Lancaster Beekeepers with the observation live hive which will be on display at the fair.

Additional Information

The observation bee hive – safely shows people honey bees at work - how they build honey comb to store pollen and nectar and the pattern of the queen laying eggs for new worker bees and male drones. People will be able to see the difference between the queen and her workers and find out more about the role of beekeepers in managing the colony (the bee hive), to keep healthy bees but also extract honey, surplus to the requirements of the bees' needs during the winter.

The solar wax extractor - shows how wax is collected from old honeycomb and placed in a solar extractor where the power of the sun melts the wax which then passes through a course filter and solidifies into ingots of solid wax.

In medieval times all monasteries maintained a sizable apiary (collection of bee hives) primarily to collect beeswax for candles. Beeswax candles burn with far less smoke than those made from animal tallow. Honey was a by product usually converted into mead! Today, beeswax is regarded as a by product which can be converted back into foundation (for the bees to build new comb on) or used to make candles, ornaments, polishes and cosmetics.

Honey bees role as pollinators – honey bees, along with other insects have a crucial role to play in ensuring global food security. Planting pockets in our gardens with bee loving plants and wild flowers will help to reduce the dramatic decline in pollinators in the UK.

Encouraging beekeeping – it is important that people who want to keep bees understand and practice good bee management and have locally bred bees which are healthy, placid and used to our local climate. Lancaster Beekeepers are offering 'an afternoon with bees' in July and August. Information about this scheme will be available at the summer fair and there will be a future press release for local media.

Contacts

Andrea Crook: Piccadilly Garden Manager. Tel 01524 847685

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For further information on Piccadilly Garden visit: www.piccadillygarden.org

Fred Ayres: Lancaster Beekeepers Chairman

Tel: 01524 811978 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For further information on Lancaster Beekeepers visit:

www.lancaster-beekeepers.org.uk
 

'Healing Bees at CancerCare supporting by the Co-op'

Headline:

Opening of a summerhouse for bee watching at Lancaster CancerCare sponsored by the Co-operative

Beekeeping can be fascinating and therapeutic for observers as well as for the beekeepers themselves. Just through watching the mysterious activity of honey bees, going about their daily tasks of collecting nectar and pollen, of cleaning the hive, producing more bees and guarding the colony, the healing virtues of bees and beekeeping can be experienced.

Both staff and people visiting CancerCare in Lancaster have become drawn into the fascinating world of the bee colonies which are being kept in the grounds, looked after by Lancaster Beekeeper, Pip Merriman. After some initial hesitancy, clients and therapists alike have become increasingly curious about how the 'bees are getting on' and have commented on the importance for them of seeing life continuing through the activity around the bee hives.

In response to this growing interest a summerhouse has been put in the grounds, at a distance from the hives, so that visitors can sit, relaxed and warm, and watch the activity of the bees in safety. This has been made possible with funding from the Co-Operative and was opened today, 23rd November. An observation hive has been put in the summerhouse, provided by Lancaster Beekeepers, so that people can watch the bees being busy at close quarters.

Pip has been beekeeping for a number of years and has developed close links with CancerCare.

Quote from Pip

"People comment on how it does their hearts good to see the bees flying up into the sun. One member of staff commented that although he is a bit wary of bees he can see how watching them has just the same quality as looking into a fire or watching water flowing."

The Lancaster Beekeepers have offered a number of free places on their annual training programme to local voluntary organisations, including CancerCare, and a client and a staff member have taken this opportunity to join the growing band of local beekeepers. This will mean that there will be more possibility of sustaining both the bees and the interest in them at CancerCare.

CancerCare offers support to adults and children with any type of cancer and at any stage of their illness. They also support carers, family members and those bereaved by cancer. All CancerCare's services are offered free of charge. For advice or information, to volunteer or to make a donation, contact (01524) 381820.

Contacts:

Pip Merriman: Lancaster Beekeepers member - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fred Ayres: Lancaster Beekeepers chair - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

or telephone 01524 811978.
 


Lancaster Bee Keepers,