Page 36 - ALG Issue 4 2022

Should I keep bees?
The keeping of bees on an allotment plot can be rewarding for the beekeeper, and provide plenty of pollinators for the whole site!
However, allotment tenants do need to check their tenancy agreements and speak to their landlord prior to siting hives on an allotment plot.
Following the arrival of the Varroa mite in the 1990s, numbers of UK honeybee colonies fell significantly, but awareness campaigns over the last few years
have resulted in a resurgence in the popularity of beekeeping, and there are some very successful projects on allotment sites. It has been estimated that honeybees pollinate about 34% of crops in the UK and having beehives near or on your site will result in higher yields and better-quality produce.
Here are some tips for prospective beekeepers and landowners to help you decide whether beehives are right for your site:
• Spend time consulting everyone on your site and nearby households – be prepared to accommodate the needs of those with allergies or other concerns.
• Hives are best situated away from other plotholders, paths, and public roads. Consider whether you have the space to surround the apiary with two-meter bee-proof fencing so bees fly up and away – over people’s heads.
• You should only handle bees when the area around the apiary is quiet, but do not manipulate bees when you are the only person onsite. Do you have a beekeeping buddy who can support you during this activity?
• Consider whether there are young children or vulnerable adults on your site regularly that may be more susceptible to bee stings.
• Make sure that associations or landlords, who allow allotment beekeeping, have a beekeeping policy and agreement in place to ensure you know the rules and what is expected of you.
• Beekeeping is a responsibility in a public place. Speak to your local British Beekeepers Association who will offer training and ongoing support before you take the plunge. BBKA membership offers insurance for beekeeping activities too.
• Involve others – the more people on site are involved in the beekeeping project, the more sustainable it will be. The cultivation practices of your fellow plotholders could affect your bees as they are very susceptible to insecticide sprays.
• If you decide beekeeping isn’t for
you or your tenancy does not allow it, there are lots of ways you can encourage more pollinators to your allotment without starting your own
Honeybees hive.
of crops amongst your allotment produce. in the
UK and • Large allotment sites could leave having small, hard to cultivate patches
beehives of land to grow wild to provide near or on breeding areas for beneficial insects.
in higher grass long.
yields and
better- • Avoid disturbing or destroying
quality nesting or hibernating insects – produce postpone your plot tidy up until
spring.
• Think carefully about whether to use pesticides as these also kill beneficial insects.
36 Allotment and Leisure Gardener
pollinate
• Grow more early and late-flowering, about 34% nectar and pollen-rich flowers
your site
• Cut grass on plots and in communal will result areas less often or leave some of the