Over the last few years during the COVID-19 pandemic, beekeeping has been on the rise. An increased public awareness about the need to protect the honeybee combined with COVID lockdowns forcing people to develop new hobbies and interests inside their homes has led to beekeeping becoming increasingly popular. Decades ago, beekeeping was relatively inaccessible- a specialised skill that required extensive training. Now, thanks to platforms like YouTube and TikTok where users can upload beekeeping tutorials, people can more easily access information that leads them to try it themselves.
However, some beekeepers are warning against 'newbees' taking on hives as a hobby, claiming that their desires to protect the environment may do more harm than good. Beekeeping is a lot of work throughout the year. Our CEO, Thalia, is out with the bees during season multiple days a week maintaining the hives and making sure our bees are healthy. Even during winter, Thalia still has to spend cold days outdoors visiting them and making sure they have enough food to survive on.
During swarm season, inexperienced beekeepers may make mistakes that resort in swarms occurring unnecessarily and this can lead to local councils having to deal with the bees, particularly in urban areas. Swarms have increased alongside the rates of back garden beekeeping which suggests that a lot of the novice beekeepers we are now seeing do not have the proper information needed to keep bees safely or well. Beehives that aren't properly monitored by trained beekeepers are also vulnerable to disease that can affect the overall bee population.
Whilst inexperienced beekeepers do pose risks to bee populations, the biggest risk to them isn't inexperience, it's climate change and habitat loss. The destruction of habitats in natural and urban areas combined with the increase in overall global temperatures is resulting in a decline in the bee population. Moreover, as the number of urban hives increases, there is more competition created for rural resources. So, as the threat of climate change looms, it is important that we continue to try and conserve the bees but in a way that is going to be most helpful for them. If you're wanting to support bees, consider improving your garden or nearby green space before getting a hive and planting bee-friendly plants that will attract native bees.
If you're still keen to get a hive, consider getting a hive that will be fully managed by an experienced beekeeper instead of attempting to do it yourself. Bee Conservation offers fully managed hive packages for residential areas and corporations. You will receive a hive of bees with a bespoke design on and your colony will be 100% managed throughout the year by us. We will also make sure you have a fresh supply of pure raw honey to enjoy too. To find out more about what we can offer you, visit our website.