Not Enough Bees in Our Bonnets Save Our Scottish Bees
Not Enough Bees in Our Bonnets
Save Our Scottish Bees
The unreliable weather has been causing problems for Scotland’s bees. Scottish beekeepers have said that this year’s crop of honey was a virtual failure following after yet another wet and changeable summer. If you want Scottish honey, now you will have to pay through the nose for it
Go and Be a Beekeeper
So the cry has gone out to get more people interested in professionally beekeeping so that we can still all try the taste of locally produced honey. Of course amateur beekeepers are welcome too, but it is a hard path to follow, as you can’t really take holidays when you have bees, I am told. You see I did look into doing a spot of beekeeping myself, but was put off by the demands of James Pirie and the need to always be there, or arrange for beekeeping cover, should you go on holiday.
So Few Left
Scottish beekeeping organisations have called for government support to encourage more bee farmers north of the border. Nowadays there are only about 30 commercial beekeepers in Scotland, with only about a dozen making a full-time living from selling honey. The Bee Farmers’ Association (BFA) point out, “There are very few people making a living keeping bees in Scotland. It is a tiny number of people producing something that is very important to the shops. The heather honey is what the tourists want to buy and there are only a few of us producing it. We want to have more professional beekeepers.”
Worth a Fight For
Well we would like to encourage anyone interest to get in touch with the BFA and see what they could do to produce the lovely heather honey that we are famous for. It’s worth a fight and whether they come from south of the border or are brave Scots starting from scratch we would like to see more bees abounding in the countryside. Makes a change from pesky midges!
A Sweetener from Us
And if you have some of that lovely heather honey to put on your toast, then you’ll have paid a tidy price for it, so you’ll be looking for a saving elsewhere and that’s how we can help. Those great tartan plates from Spode are on offer and the toast, no doubt wholemeal, will stand proud on it garnished with a flourish of heather honey!
