Six of the best ways to help Britain's honey bees
HONEY bees pollinate one third of all the food we eat but, since there are no wild honey bee colonies left in the UK, British beekeepers are vital to the survival of our honey bees.
Below are six of the best ways to help save our honey bees.
Adopt a beehive: The British Beekeepers Association has a fundraising Adopt A Beehive scheme for people who want to be involved in beekeeping but are not able to have a hive of their own. You receive honey-based products, a newsletter and information about local beekeeper events. Visit www.adoptahive.co.uk
Make a bee-friendly space: Plant flowers such as asters, hollyhocks, foxgloves and sunflowers to attract bees to your garden and shrubs such as buddleias, hebes and hydrangeas. Flowering herbs such as rosemary and mint are also good and fruit trees are bee magnets.
If you are lucky enough to have a big garden, many would-be beekeepers will happily manage a beehive for you
Volunteer: Contact your county's Wild Life Trust to see if they need volunteers for conservation and habitat work, by going to www.wildlifetrusts.org
Buy local honey: Local honey is much better for you than foreign supermarket honey because the flavour reflects your local countryside and the money you spend will be spent on beekeepers' costs so their honey bees can carry on pollinating local crops.
Let out your spare grounds: If you are lucky enough to have a big garden, especially in an urban environment, many would-be beekeepers will happily manage a beehive for you. The bees will do wonders for your garden flowers and fruit - without you having to get involved at all.
Become a beekeeper: Find a beekeeping taster course or become a beekeeper's buddy to decide whether you want to take up beekeeping. If you do, there are plenty of courses available to allow you to become a Master Beekeeper. For more information go to
