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Save the Bees

I missed this last week by being in Hong Kong, but honey and bees seem to be a very hot topic at the moment, and not just in our household. I love that Harry Eastwood was working with the Honey Association on recipes for the week, as I’m a huge fan of hers (as my well thumbed copy of Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache would testify!).

Everyone wants to talk honey and preserving the bees, it’s definitely one of the foodie causes de jour. Want to support the cause or get involved? Here’s a few of the things that have caught my eye:

* For the urban wannabe(e) beekeeper, then they’ll probably be lusting after a Beehaus. From the people who brought us the Eglu, the Beehaus makes some parts of beekeeping modern and cool. Although not the outfits. And they’ll sell you the bees too. Don’t underestimate this service, ours is still a virtual hive as we are bee-less.

*Check out the limited edition from Innocent which is Lemons, Honey & Ginger, noticeable for the hive picture on the front. This is their “buy one get one bee” campaign, which will help to install beehives across the sites of the National Trust and the Federation of Irish Beekeepers. It also comes with a packet of bee friendly seeds for you to make your own garden a bit more bee friendly. Personally, I didn’t like the smoothie, as it mainly tastes of banana and a little honey, and I’d have liked a bit more of a ginger kick. But, hey, the bees are happy!

* If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, then I highly recommend a read of A World Without Bees. The stats are frightening, both in terms of how quickly they have been dieing out, as well as the impact on the environment, agriculture and the economy. Not the happiest read, but interesting.

* Probably the most famous urban beekeepers are those at Fortnum & Mason, where there are famously hives on the roof. You can buy honey from the rooftop of the London store, or the more rural bees of Salisbury Plain. They also have honey from around the UK, from Scotland to Wales, as well as New Zealand and the Pitcairn Islands. I imagine the carbon footprint is quite high on the last two!

* Manuka honey is supposed to have huge health benefits. Whether this applies when you use it in vodka I’ve no idea, but I would imagine I might feel a bit better with a shot of 42 Below’s Manuka Honey Vodka. I’m rather liking the sound of Honey on the Rocks, a bit like a more interesting version of Beechams by the sounds of it!

* Many beekeepers are very small producers, so you are most likely to find their produce in your local shops and at your farmer’s market. Keep a look out for them and do what you can to support them. Remember if you are shopping anywhere else to look for a named country of origin on your honey, as everything just labelled honey can be made from blends of honey from all around the world. Or from cheapest sources available. Honey isn’t cheap, but it’s worth paying that bit more for to support the systems that support great beekeeping practices.

* If you don’t want to go down the whole beekeeping route (I’ve seen the outfits, it’s not for everyone) then you could just do your bit by making whatever space you have for growing things more bee friendly. Most of the seed companies have caught onto this trend and give you some good views on what to buy.  Crocus have Bee Attract Seed Mix, Sarah Raven offers a great option with Garlic Chives (bees love them and you can eat them) and Thompson & Morgan have 61 different bee friendly options.

So, you might be like me and missed National Honey Week, but it’s never too late to get involved and support our beekeepers, and our bees. Just be careful where it ends up, or you could end up like these two:

Beekeeping: it's all glamour

Slightly more sensible bee campaigner snapped by Kevin Krejci over on Flickr.

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