Exercise 1: Short Answer

by Liam Hall

Our club, The Greenfield Beekeepers, has been running for about six years now. My interest in beekeeping started when I was a young child. My dad kept bees, so I have lots of happy childhood memories of spending hours looking after the bees in our family garden. Later on in life, when I discovered a colleague shared my passion, we decided to set up a club.

Our first task was to get all the necessary equipment. If you're thinking of keeping bees, it's important to find out the cost before you begin. We were able to afford two hives (the wooden structures where the bees live), some tools and protective clothing, and started from there. It's also a good idea to research suitable locations for keeping bees. We kept ours on a neighbour's farm as neither of our gardens was quite large enough for the hives.

Before long, our beekeeping club had attracted interest from local people who wanted to help and learn more about bees. As our club grew, we decided we needed more space and so we approached the local council who allowed us to move our hives to an area in the park. In exchange for this, the council asked us to run some community projects. So we now run regular beekeeping workshops and we hope to start a gardening one soon.

We also do some craft sessions with children as part of our beekeeping workshops. They love using bee products to create things, and particularly enjoy making candles, but also honey biscuits and soap. It's great to see the younger generation taking an interest in bees.

Our club is getting more and more popular. We now have between 10 and 20 people who are involved regularly and help out weekly. We don't get any financial help from the council, so we survive by selling honey to local shops and cafés. Although our honey is more expensive than the brands you generally find in supermarkets, people enjoy buying products that have been produced locally and of course the taste is great!

Beekeeping may be an unusual way to spend your free time, but it's really fun and you're also helping the environment by looking after the bee population. To learn about keeping your own bees, it's better to join a club first. We always welcome new beekeepers at our club. I'd also definitely recommend you take a beekeeping course. You won't regret it!