Members of Portsmouth and District Beekeeping Association say 'beekeeping exploded' during lockdown and are set to hold first convention of the year at Trafalgar School in Portsmouth

These highly intelligent creatures pollinate the food we need to survive and pollinate many of the trees and flowers that provide habitats for wildlife.

That’s why when the long and deep frosts of spring last year made themselves known, bee populations plummeted and beekeepers across the UK shared a common feeling of dread.

When the frost of winter bites the humble honey bee – they can starve to death.

They are forced to retain their warmth by huddling together, often unable to break their cluster to move to their food stores.

At Portsmouth and District Beekeeping Association members like Aaron Dancey - who worship the skill of colonies who work themselves to death to make honey – had their hopes flattened as hives dissipated.

However, a year on – things are looking up.

I visited just three of Aaron’s apiaries, where a writer and sculptor allows Aaron to use a small portion of his land for beekeeping at West Ashling, near Chichester, so I could gain a hands-on insight into beekeeping.

On April 9, Trafalgar School in Portsmouth will host a fair of all things bee-related with guest speakers and workshops.

Association chairman Mike Cotton, who has been a member for 12 years, will lead a welcome talk for visitors followed by a variety of hands-on activities run by experts and bee inspectors.

Sessions include the art of making reusable beeswax wraps and microscopy which allows bee lovers to inspect the anatomy of the bee under the microscope.

Aaron, in his fourth year of beekeeping, sells his honey through small business, Lovedean Honey, houses six active colonies including in Clanfield and at his home in Waterlooville.

He’s currently training two budding keepers, Jamie Fowler from Emsworth and Roger Flynn from Waterlooville.

Aaron wants to build up to 12 hives this year, with his current active colonies expected to produce 400 jars of honey.

Wearing a protective white bee suit, a hooded veil to cover my face and a pair of gloves to protect my hands when removing the frames for inspection, Aaron tells me light colours are best when dealing with honey bees.

Though the only creature they deem a predator is a bear, dark clothes can be a sign of danger.

At this early stage, the colony is at its weakest. The Queen has just started laying for the season to build the hive’s population.

‘The majority of the bees in these hives are no more than a few weeks old,’ says Aaron.

‘They're trying to collect as much pollen as they can, store it and build numbers back up, so they're a bit defensive at the beginning of the season.

‘The best time to really get to know them is the end of spring. They experience explosive growth in numbers early in the season which build the colony up to the point where they can split.

That's when you get a swarm.

The existing Queen will leave with up to half the workers and she'll go and set up a colony elsewhere. She's already fertile, she can lay eggs and re-establish a colony very quickly’

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At this site, three of Aaron’s apiaries are active. The first, buzzing with the activity of 30-40,000 bees which I’m told is mid-strength at this stage, is calm despite Aaron’s warning that it’s a bit nippy for them to venture out to collect pollen.

Bees are active above 10 degrees. On this day it was 12. At full strength the hive houses 50-60,000 honey bees.

There are various inspections that a beekeeper must make every seven to 10 days. We remove each frame, (there are usually about 10 or 11 in a hive) to inspect a number of aspects that tell Aaron if his hive is strong and healthy.

Things to look out for are if we can track down the Queen, whether the Queen has laid in the brood box and whether they have sufficient stores of pollen and honey to keep them going.

A bee smoker is vital before diving in. The smoke acts as ‘fire’. The bees’ first response is to bury themselves back on to the frames of comb to digest as much honey as they can in anticipation of having to move elsewhere. This makes them sleepy so inspection is easier.

Aaron echoes how ‘good’ it feels to have bees scavenging for dandelion pollen after a very wet summer last year meant fewer flowers and their food store significantly reduced.

Association chairman Mike Cotton takes about 18-20 people at a time for beekeeper training and says bees have become ‘very popular’ particularly during lockdown.

‘Everybody wants to keep bees,’ he says. ‘The whole thing has exploded.’

Mike is looking forward to welcoming bee enthusiasts and those eager to learn more about the workings of the hive at their spring convention. Visit portsmouthbeekeepers.co.uk for more information.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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