Mersea: Why bees are so important (From Essex County Standard)

Mersea: Why bees are so important

9:00am Saturday 20th June 2009 in Local news By Claire Owen

When we think about endangered species, animals like pandas and tigers might spring to mind. But what about the humble honey bee?

In 2008, more than 25 per cent of Britain's bee colonies were wiped out due to a parasitic mite called varroa, which spreads diseases and ultimately leads to death.

This is causing huge concern for environmentalists, in part due to the insect's huge importance in providing food for humans.

Around a third of our nutrition is only available due to the pollination efforts of these bees, without whom many crops simply would not grow.

The curse of the varroa mite is clearly one that needs to be controlled, but according to East Mersea beekeeper Peter Inson, it's not always that easy.

“We don't know where the mites come from,” said the 62-year-old, who lives in East Road.

“A lot of methods are used to try and control them, such as using chemicals.

“But the mites develop a resistance to them.

“So a lot of research is going on into new technology which will hopefully control them.”

He added: “There is a possibility that we might find strains of bees that are more resistant to the mites – and there are some bees that will groom each other and brush the mites off.”

It is a topic close to the heart of former teacher Mr Inson, for whom beekeeping has been a lengthy labour of love.

He began the hobby a number of years ago and now has an apiary in his back garden – which, although relatively small, can accommodate 50,000 bees in the spring and summer.

“I come from an agricultural background – I went to Writtle College and used to breed pigs,” said Mr Inson, who is married to Jean.

“When I became a teacher in the early 1970s I still liked practical things so beekeeping appealed to me.

“I used to keep bees at my school in west London and the children would help me.

“As a teacher it was very useful in showing them where food comes from.”

Now retired, Mr Inson has cultivated a small honey-making business, selling the fruits of the bees' labour from his home and the nearby village shop.

He explained how the process works.

“The bees will find the pollen and come back to the hive to tell the others,” said the father-of-two.

“They can indicate distance and direction with a little dance.

“They will then bring the pollen back to the hive where they will turn it into honey and cover it with their wax.”

Once this is complete, Mr Inson takes the individual boards out of the hive and scrapes the wax off.

This is used by some to make candles, although he prefers to reuse it so the bees do not have to make more – allowing them to make more honey in a shorter time.

The boards are then placed in an extractor to collect the honey, which is then placed in jars ready to be sold on.

“The bees can make about 350lbs of honey in the summer," said Mr Inson, who is also an author and whose first book Dunno won an Arts Council award.

“After that we let them keep it to feed themselves.”

He added that honey can form a very important role in our diets – especially if we are prone to allergies.

“It can help to reduce hayfever, especially if the pollen is local,” he said.

“It's almost like a vaccine.

“Honey was also used during the Second World War to dress wounds because of its antiseptic properties.”

Mr Inson is a member of the Essex Beekeepers' Association, which can provide advice to those interested in taking up the hobby.

For veteran beekeepers like Mr Inson, it is equally as useful.

“We all share information with each other, and have guest speakers in to give us tips,” he said.

“There aren't that many of us, so we are very enthusiastic.”

For more information, visit ebka.org

FACTFILE

■ The honey bee's Latin name is apis mellifera. Apis means bee and mellifera comes from melli meaning honey and ferre meaning to bear.

■ The queen bee is the only fertile female in a colony.

■ She can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day, which take three days to hatch and live for about six weeks.

■ Bees can fly for a mile and a half to find pollen.

■ With the bee population in decline and honey prices rising as a result, there have been a spate of hive thefts in recent months. These include those of royal beekeeper Murray McGregor in West Lothian, Scotland.