Lynne Allbutt from Gwent Bee Keepers Association tells us all about her love of bees
“I started keeping bees 5 years ago but stopped calling myself a bee keeper about three years ago. One of the numerous fascinating things I had learnt was to be a Bee Guardian rather than a Bee keeper – keeping bees was beyond me; they had minds of their own.
Obviously bees are not most people’s idea of a pet, but they are nonetheless fascinating creatures to share your life, time and space with. They take up far less time than walking Yogi my terrier-ist, looking after my chickens or even keeping my two pet pigs. And the rewards are too numerous to mention. Honey is probably the first thing that springs to mind when you think of the associated reward but to be honest I rarely take any honey from my hives, preferring to let the bees keep their hard-earned booty to get them through the winter, as Nature intended.
Rewards for me include watching them tentatively venture out of their hives on a bright late winter’s day to collect the orange pollen from bashful snowdrops, or the sheer busyness of them en masse as they strip my cotoneaster of its nectar later in the year. There is an indescribable energy that comes with bees which is quite magical.
As the bees are swarming at the moment, please don’t let your fear or ignorance cause them harm. They are at their most placid as they simply wait for scout bees to find a new home, and will move on in a short time. If you think you have a swarm on your property you can call a Swarm Liaison Officer on 01495 752827 or 01873 852512
As I have far more words than column inches available, I hope this has been enough to whet your appetite to find out more. Gwent Bee Keepers Association gives talks to committees and organisations (as do I) and you can also become a Member of the Association without having to keep bees. That way you’ll benefit from both great knowledge of the speakers and endless wisdom of those in the audience.”
To find out more visit www.bbka.org.uk/local/gwent/
