Save Our Bees Campaign!

Just found this link on the BBKA website, also on 'downsizer.net'. I would urge everyone to sign up!

The Bees of the Bank of England

When we were on our beekeeping course with James, I remember him mentioning that the Bank of England had played host to colonies of bees. The subject had come up a few times over the last few months and a search of Google seemed to point that there had been bees at the Bank of England, but with very little detail about what had really happened.

I work just down the road from the Bank of England and I've been meaning to wander down there at lunchtime for a while and see if I could find out some more. So, this lunchtime, I popped down to the Bank of England museum to enquire.

Actually, the museum is well worth a visit if you're in the area. I loved the opportunity to lift a gold bar on my palm (sadly, I could not take it home with me...) as well as reminiscing over the old banknote designs. But this is all about bees.

I explained to the attendant that I was a beekeeper and that I'd heard rumours of 'Bees at the Bank' and I wondered if she could tell me more?

And so she did! She knew the story instantly. A previous governor of the Bank of England, Robin Leigh-Pemberton was a beekeeper. In those days, the Governor had a flat 'above the shop' and whilst he lived there, he had hives of bees on the roof of the Bank. Leigh-Pemberton was Governor between 1983-1993.

The Bees of the Bank foraged in the City of London during that period.

The Hives in the Snow

With all the snow we've had this week, I thought I'd go to the allotments this morning and check the hives were ok. They looked fine - though at that time, the bees weren't flying. I don't blame them really.



What interested me about this picture was the tracks between the hives! Who goes there?

Newsworthy Article!

Hi!
Just caught this article on the net!