Keeping Bees on the Allotment

'Over a third of the food we eat depends on plants being pollinated by insects, including bees'.

We are lucky enough to have beehives at our Hunts Pond Road, Sarisbury Green and Warsash sites. The advantages of keeping bees are many, in particular:

• They produce honey, wax and collect pollen
• They provide a valuable pollinating resource for gardeners and wild plants
• They support local food production and this adds to increasing the quality and flavour

If you want to place beehives on your plot, you need to consult your Site Manager and via your Site Manager, obtain the approval of the Allotment Association.

There are also strict guidelines to follow; these set out the process to follow and the actions that must be taken prior to formal approval being given by the Allotment Association. Follow the links below to find out more information:

There is also more information available on the British Beekeepers Association website.

Guidance to prospective beekeepers who wish to place beehives on WWAA allotment sites.

* Did you know? Here are some interesting facts about honey bees:

• They have five eyes
• They don't hibernate in winter, but they do slow down and huddle together for warmth
• They can carry half their weight in pollen
• They need to fly the equivalent of twice around the world to collect enough nectar to make a jar of honey
• They do a 'waggle dance' to show other bees where to find food
• Honey is nectar that bees have repeatedly regurgitated and dehydrated
• Honey bees represent only a tiny fraction of the 20,000-odd known species of bees.

If you are interested on keeping bees on your plot please consult your site manager. They will work with you on a risk assessment and the guidelines you need to follow so that permission can be provided.

Guide To Keeping Bees
Risk Assessment

[Source - National Trust Magazine]