democracystreet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-lost-plot.html
They’re European Honey Bees or Western Honey bees, Apis Mellifera. My friend and neighbour Gill Rose is an apiarist. Her bees, kept at an apiary a few miles away, divided and swarmed this July. She bought the new colony to the Victoria Jubilee Allotments in Handsworth, where great care has been taken to fulfil a number of conditions – e.g. her liability insurance, her apiarist accreditation (member of the National Bee Keepers’ Association), a pre-inspection of the location of the hive by council officers, a risk assessment, erection of a screen around the hive to protect people on the allotments and the park beyond the iron fence, the approval of adjoining plotholders and of the allotment association and agreement for the introduction of the bees to be reviewed regularly – starting in September – by, Mohammad, the council’s site officer.
I was vexed by all these conditions at first but I have learned, during this process, that Birmingham City Council is very keen to see many more bees in the city, especially on allotments, but that such is the ignorance – sorry to use that word – of many people about the role of bees in pollination and their fears of getting stung, or worse, their children getting stung, that the authorities have, to ensure their policies for the steady spread of bee owning, is approached in a most risk-averse way. I now support this. One untoward incident and the whole process of educations and encouragement will be set back. It felt bizarre at first. After all I am subject to anaphylactic shock if stung by bees or wasps, but I regard this as my problem not the bees’ and I always carry remedies. I was brought up with bees as a child but have seen less of them as the years have passed. Now I’m so pleased to have them on our allotment.
I look to the time when we will all share an added understanding of bees; that we will see many more bee-hives on the Victoria Jubilee Allotments. I am just so joyful at seeing them here getting on with their work among us frail and foolish humans.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_honey_bee
The conditions as originally communicated:
– The bees should be from a new colony, rather than an established one.
– No more than one hive can be placed on the plot
– A screen (including insect netting) of around 8ft should be installed a metre away from the boundary of the site alongside the fence. This will also help to shield the bees from unwanted attention from park users, and so ensuring the security of the hive. There is still concern that the bees are rather close to both park users and people working on the site, but the screen should mitigate some of the concerns.
– No bees are to be placed on the plot until the requisite screening has been added to the plot. If you could let your Allotment Liaison Officer know when it has been installed, he will be able to inspect it.
– A risk assessment should be completed by the beekeeper as soon as possible. The Allotment Liaison Officer can advise the tenant of the format of the risk assessment
– The introduction of the bees to be reviewed after this summer in late September, early October.
– Any complaints that the Allotments Team receive will be forwarded to the Victoria Jubilee Allotments Association for action. If any complaints are received, they will form part of the information used as part of the 12 month review.
– An approved bees expert has shown where to position the hive on your plot.
With these conditions I was referred to ‘a very useful document from NSALG in relation to keeping bees on Allotment sites.’ (see also this from the British Beekeepers’ Association)
We are planning a Bee Breakfast on the Victoria Jubilee Allotments this year, after I was approached by Birmingham Friends of the Earth (FoE) www.foe.co.uk/news/35884.html
University of Reading report on ‘The Decline of England’s Bees’
www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/beesreport.pdf
