‘Honeybees in the Capital’ was a fascinating talk held in Fulham Library on Saturday 28th November, hosted by Mike Wohl (Lets Go Lets Grow) and featuring Richard Glassborow (Chair of the London Beekeeping Association). It started with an introduction about bees and flowers and some interesting facts – these stood out for me:
- The short life span of bees – they only live for 25 days
- Any one hive can hold up to 80,000 worker bees but just one queen bee
- Bees have been around for over 150 million years!
- Aside from producing honey, bees have actually been trained to detect explosive devices as their smell sensitivity is much greater than that of a dog
Bees nesting on a bicycle
Unfortunately, with lessening green spaces in London due to increased building and paving of gardens, bees are becoming endangered and it’s not something to be taken lightly. These pollinators are responsible for one third of all we eat, including 80% of British plants. As Mike concluded; ‘An environment that is good for bees is good for us’.
Delicious local honey
We even got to taste some local raw honey which had a unique taste and aroma and was delicious spread on hot toast. More information can be found on their website and although anyone can keep bees, it is a big commitment and they recommend first attending a comprehensive training course with a local association. Do take a look on our library shelves as we hold a surprisingly comprehensive collection of books on the subject.
[Julie Lyons]
LBHF Libraries and Archives 