Beekeeping can be a rewarding activity and when done properly, it offers a number of environmental benefits. One of the characteristics of the pursuit is the range of people it attracts. In order to satisfy demand among local people for skills in the activity, a partnership has been forged between an education centre and an association that specialises in the art of keeping bees.
Llysfasi College and South Clwyd Beekeepers’ Association have come together over the issue, the BBC reports. Between them, the organisations have created a new centre that enables people to learn the techniques involved. Based at the college, it allows people to get hands-on experience.
Carol Keys-Shaw, secretary of the South Clwyd Beekeepers’ Association, remarked: “Beekeeping is a craft. It’s more work than people imagine. You can’t just put the bees in a box and leave them.”She went on to point out that membership of the association has increased over the last two years, claiming this is mainly a result of public concern over the decline of honey bees and bumble bees.
The enthusiast added: “A huge cross-section of people are now becoming beekeepers. Our youngest member is 12 years old and our members come from a cross-spectrum of different professions – we’ve got builders, farmers, doctors and retired people. You get the impression people are very concerned about the environment.”
Funding for the centre mainly came from Cadwyn Clwyd, a rural development agency that provides guidance and support to help develop and diversify the rural economy in Flintshire and Denbighshire using EU funds.Thanks to the development, South Clwyd Beekeepers’ Association will have more space to train and teach people in the art of keeping bees. Meanwhile, the organisation also operates a mentoring scheme that enables more experienced members to go and help out novices in the discipline.