Our project is more than beekeeping to produce honey. As a long-time permaculture enthusiast, I transformed a very small garden into an apiary and also grow food and wildflowers which are beneficial to wild insects and bird life as well as to ourselves. No pesticides or other chemicals are used, only organic fertilisers and methods which do not harm the soil or surrounding environment. A no dig approach is used which studies show is less damaging to the integrity and structure of soil than traditional methods of turning over flower and vegetable beds every year.
When the first beehive arrived I was not at all sure how they would get on. After all most people think of beekeeping as a rural activity and I was concerned with whether the bees would be able to collect enough forage to survive in sustainable colonies given that we live on the suburban outskirts of Coventry. I need not have worried! Due to the sheer number of gardens, parks and hedgerows around the area these bees seem to do at least as well as bees who live in the countryside.
With a little knowledge it is possible to transform even small spaces into places which are much more bee-friendly.
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