Beekeeping in the United Kingdom facts for kids

Beekeeping in the United Kingdom is all about people looking after bee colonies. It's a big activity that helps us get lots of cool stuff from bees! This includes honey, beeswax, royal jelly (special food for queen bees), queen bees themselves, propolis (a sticky substance bees make), and flower pollen or bee pollen.

Honeybees are super important because they also help pollinate plants. This means they help fruit trees and other crops grow by moving pollen around.

Many people keep bees as a fun hobby. Others do it to earn money, either as a side job or as a full-time business. How many bee colonies a beekeeper has often depends on why they keep bees.

History of Beekeeping

Beekeeping with hives probably started in the east of England and then spread across Britain. We don't know exactly when it began.

In the past, people used special baskets called "skeps" as homes for bees. These skeps were made from wicker or coils of straw or grass. They helped keep the bees safe from bad weather and animals that might try to eat them.

Modern Beekeeping Challenges

Around 2008, about 20% of bees in the UK died during the winter. This was a big problem! The most bees died in the north of England. These winter losses got worse in the years that followed. This happened because some treatments used to fight a tiny mite called Varroa stopped working as well.

Luckily, new treatments have been approved in the UK to help reduce these bee losses.

The government helps bees too! They have a special research center called the National Bee Unit. It's run by the Food and Environment Research Agency in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire.

There's also a law called the Bees Act 1980. This law was made to help stop damage to bees from diseases, chemicals (like Imidacloprid), and pests. Even though it's a law, it hasn't been fully put into action yet, and it doesn't cover Northern Ireland.

The National Bee Unit is in charge of looking after bee health in England and Wales. It's based in Sand Hutton.

Every year, there's a special event called the National Honey Show. It first happened in 1923 at The Crystal Palace. It's a show where people can display their honey and other products made by bees.

The BBKA Spring Convention is another yearly event for beekeepers. It has lots of talks and workshops for beekeepers of all skill levels.

Beekeeping Groups and Associations

There are many groups in the UK that help beekeepers and protect bees:

• The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) started in 1874. It helps amateur beekeepers in England. It's a charity and has many local groups.
• The Ulster Beekeepers Association (UBKA) looks after the interests of amateur beekeepers in Northern Ireland.
• The Scottish Beekeepers Association (SBA) is the main group for beekeeping in Scotland.
• The Welsh Beekeepers Association (WBKA) helps amateur beekeepers in Wales.
• The Bee Farmers' Association of the UK (BFA) is for professional beekeepers in the UK. They represent about 450 businesses that farm bees. These members produce honey and also help farmers by providing pollination services.
• Bee Diseases Insurance (BDI) offers insurance to beekeepers in England and Wales. This helps them if their bees get certain diseases.
• Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Association (BIBBA) works to protect and improve the native honey bees of the British Isles.
• The Central Association of Bee-Keepers (CABK) is a charity that teaches people about beekeeping.

Famous Beekeepers

Here are some people who were well-known for their work with bees:

• Brother Adam (1898-1996)
• Samuel Bagster
• Ernest Balch
• Annie Betts
• Edward Bevan (1770-1860)
• Charles Butler
• Richard Carew
• Thomas Gibson-Carmichael
• William Broughton Carr
• William Cleland
• William Cotton
• Beowulf Cooper (1917-1982)
• Thomas William Cowan
• Robert Drury
• Robert Ellery
• R. O. B. Manley (1888-1978)
• Adrian Stoop