Discover the wonder of bees
Fergus Chadwick grew up in rural County Durham in the UK, and from
an early age his interest in nature was apparent. Spending most of
his childhood chasing insects, he took up beekeeping at the age of
13, under the mentorship of local beekeeper John Simon. From that
moment on, he was hooked on bees. He went on to study Biological
Sciences at Somerville College, the University of Oxford, where his
work on the relationship between bees and neonicotinoid pesticides
(carried out at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) formed the
basis of his dissertation. His current research focuses broadly on
bee behaviour under the influence of pesticides. He is a passionate
advocate of science communication and access to education.
Steve Alton is an ecologist, botanist, and beekeeper's assistant
who looks after Ashdown Forest, an area of heathland in Sussex best
known as the home of Winnie the Pooh. Before that he worked for 13
years at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, collecting seeds for the
Millennium Seed Bank, and was Deputy Editor for BeeCraft, the
journal of the British Beekeepers' Association. He is a past winner
of the Society of Authors' Educational Writer of the Year Award
and, with his wife, Karin, also runs a company providing
bee-friendly wildflower seed mixes.
Emma Sarah Tennant found her way to the bees seven years ago after
reading a magazine article about taking up beekeeping as a hobby.
She contacted her local Ealing & District Beekeepers Association
and enrolled on their nine-week introductory course followed by
practical training, before obtaining her first colony and later
sharing several colonies with hive partner Emily Scott. They now
keep hives at Ealing's training apiary, where they regularly open
them up for beginners and provide practical sessions. Emma writes
the blog Mrs Apis Mellifera all about beekeeping life. She is also
a qualified aromatherapist, having trained at Neal's Yard Remedies
in Covent Garden.
Bill Fitzmaurice has maintained 20 or so honey bee colonies in the
London suburbs of Harrow and Ealing for the last 18 years. He is an
advocate of maximising the harvest from his bees, both honey and
wax, and retrieves as much wax as possible from cappings, old
frames, culled drone brood, and brace comb. A regular exhibitor at
his local honey show and at the National Honey Show where, in
recent years, Bill has run very popular Candle Making Workshops.
These provide hands-on practice in making a range of candles,
including dipped candles, which he considers the best and most
satisfying to make.
Judy Earl is an urban beekeeper who has kept hives in northwest
London for over 10 years. She has always loved spending hours
cooking and making things, and having a ready supply of honey and
wax has given her new opportunities to avoid housework. Judy is a
regular exhibitor at her local honey show and at the National Honey
Show, where she was the first holder of the Jill Foster Memorial
Trophy for the display class of hive products. Standing down as
Chair of Harrow Beekeepers Association in 2014 has given Judy more
time to spend talking about and demonstrating hive products. In
2014, Judy gave a talk at the London Honey Show, and in 2015 she
ran a workshop on Hive Products at the National Honey Show.
Beautifully designed with great illustrations and pictures
*BBC Good Food*
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