River Cottage brings you the facts about bees and honey - from their history to their health
Bees have been around in their present, fully evolved state for millions of years. Man has been using honey as a sweetener for thousands of years. The Romans had honey in abundance. It has natural antiseptic properties and can be used as a remedy for ailments from sore throats to burns and cuts. It is alleged that local honey can provide some relief to hay fever sufferers.
Honey is a hygroscopic substance which means that it attracts water. This makes it a good alternative to sugar in baking as it makes a moister sponge in cakes.
"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man," said Albert Einstein.
This may be an alarmist theory but the implications for humanity of the disappearing bee are enormous: honey bees pollinate about 80 per cent of flowering crops, which in turn furnish one third of the human diet.
Bees are certainly vital to our economy. There are around 250,000 honey bee hives in Britain. According to recent figures published by the Department of Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), bees generate £165 million each year through pollination plus a further £12 million through sales of about 4,000 tonnes of honey.
For the above reasons, it’s important for people to continue to keep their own bees. Yet all over the world they are dying out; their numbers are dwindling.
"Beekeeping is still reeling from the varroa mite, which carries a number of viruses and which devastated thousands of hives across the country when it reached Britain 10 years ago," said Tim Lovett, president of the British Beekeeping Association. [Observer, March 9 2008]
Furthermore is the mystifying phenomenon, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). More than half the states in America have been affected by CCD. On the west coast of America, almost 60 per cent of the bee colonies have collapsed and in Texas for example, 70 per cent of bee colonies have collapsed. Beekeepers in Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland and Switzerland have also recorded heavy losses.
CCD is still a misunderstood phenomenon. Essentially a large percentage of the bees will suddenly fail to return to their hive. This has been blamed on several things including mobile phone radiation, genetically modified crops, pesticides and global weather changes but no-one knows for sure why CCD happens.
Scientists all over the world are stumped. Whilst Colony Collapse has not thus far been recorded in the UK, British beekeepers are seeking more funding from DEFRA to fund the vital studies needed to ascertain the true cause of this apian epidemic.
"The pollinating of farmers' crops carried out by our bees is provided free of charge," said Lovett. "Over five years that work raises £800m for the nation. We are asking for an £8m research programme to save our bees to run for five years. That is one per cent of the money our bees generate." [Observer, March 9 2008]
If you are a novice and you want to keep your own bees, you could contact your local branch of the Beekeepers Association. They will be in contact with some experienced beekeepers and will try to assign you a mentor where possible. The association can put you in touch with people who sell bees in the UK and suppliers who will sell you packages to get your apiary going.
It is not as difficult or expensive as you would imagine to get started:
For approximately £250 you could buy a new hive complete with a brood of bees but if you went for the second hand option (take over someone else’s hive because they have more than they need) it can be half the cost. When sourcing your bees it is best to get them locally so they’re adapted to the local climate.
Other essential, personal equipment includes:
Jacket and protective hood - £40
New smoker - £15
Hive tool - £5 (for levering the combs and clearing the wax)
You also need a pair of wellies and gloves but rubber kitchen gloves will do the trick.
For more information visit britishbee.org.uk
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