It always surprises people when they hear that there are Beekeepers in London. The idea that such a huge city could support these valuable insects begins to dawn. “Why yes, of course, there are hundreds of gardens with plants, flowers and fruit trees that all need pollination.”
In fact the urban Beekeeper has an even better chance of a larger honey crop than his fellow beekeeper in the country. The vast resources of nectar in our London gardens and parks means that for most years a London beekeeper can expect to collect an average honey crop of 70 plus lbs of honey, compared with about 30 lbs per hive in the country. Some lucky London beekeepers even have excesses of over 140 lbs from just one hive.
The North London Beekeeping Association always stresses that safe beekeeping is of paramount importance in a city. Bees that worry neighbours are no good to anyone and get a bad name for the hobbyist beekeeper. So all members of the Association are encouraged to ensure that they keep well tempered and docile bees. The Association has a constant Queen breeding programme to maintain stocks of good docile bees.
Should there be a change in temperament in a colony of bees, the old Queen bee is replaced by a new Queen bred from bees of known good temper. Within 24 hours there should then be a noticeable change for the better, and within six weeks when the new Queen's offspring are flying, working and foraging. The whole colony will have a quite different and pleasant temper. One rule of thumb is that if a colony can be handled with bare hands in April and May the temperament is suitable for urban beekeeping.
There are many advantages in joining a local Beekeeping Association. Of particular interest to those starting beekeeping for the first time in North London, is this Association's “Beekeeping Classes for Beginners” with practical “hands on” experience. Also the Association has a unique “Adopt a Hive” scheme which allows those, who have been through the classes to look after, manage, and experience beekeeping for a whole year without having to purchase any equipment. All this is under the supervision of an experienced beekeeper. This has given invaluable experience for those taking up this wonderfully therapeutic and interesting hobby. The new beekeeper can find out what is involved in beekeeping before buying equipment.
Bees in London are vital for the pollination of flowers and fruit. With the Varroa mite wiping out all wild colonies of bees, beekeepers are the only way honey bees are maintained in the capital city. As beekeepers we can have a crop of honey, honeycomb, beeswax, pollen and propolis. This can all be sold to pay for our hobby, so beekeeping is not expensive and we are helping the environment.