Exeter bee project launches Queen Bee rearing programme
Princesshay’s City Bee project has launched a brand new Queen Bee rearing programme as part of the centre’s continued development of its rooftop environmental scheme.
The project, now in its third year, houses 4 hives with approximately 60,000 bees working them daily.
The Queen Bee rearing programme is a new innovative idea for the Princesshay City Bee Project and will be led by head beekeeper Jason Wallis of WeeTree Nurseries. A smaller mating hive has been created for the rearing process and a master colony for raising the initial queen cells. The aim of the new programme is to introduce new healthy queens to the current hives for the season ahead to ensure the hives are as productive as possible.
The rooftop garden at Princesshay continues to grow and thrive above the busy shoppers of Exeter. The introduction of the Queen Bee rearing programme is part of an environmental initiative championed by current landlords The Crown Estate and TIAA Henderson Real Estate. As part of a wider sustainability and environmental strategy, the flourishing garden and bee project will now form part of a new education programme. An observation hive will be added offering visitors and school groups the opportunity to see the activity inside the hive through its glass panels.
Andrew Littlejohns, Princesshay operations manager investigated the idea of housing ‘City Bees’ in Princesshay after watching a television programme on the decline of the honey bee and subsequent impact on the environment. After obtaining the relevant advice and guidance from appropriate bee- keeping consultants and various site meetings, plans progressed quickly from inception in February 2012 to the arrival of the first Princesshay bee colony in April 2013.
Andrew Littlejohns, Princesshay operations manager said, “It’s fantastic to be starting our third year of the City Bee project. It has come such a long way since it was launched. The honey harvest was brilliant last year; with over 110lbs of honey produced we were able to raise hundreds of pounds for our charity of the year Dream-a-Way, by selling it in Chandos Deli. The honey was so popular it sold out in 3 weeks!
“We’d like to encourage as many people as we can to visit our project and recruit further volunteers to the beekeeping programme. We meet each Thursday at 2pm with beekeeping consultant Jason Wallis from WeeTree Nurseries. The new team of Princesshay beekeepers will manage and care for the project in the next 12 months and beyond. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please get in touch.”
Jason Wallis from WeeTree Nurseries started keeping bees almost 10 years ago to help with flower production at his nursery and it fast became a hobby and passion. Jason said, “Working with the Princesshay team is a real pleasure. The City Bee project has been a huge achievement and it’s great to be part of it. I’m really excited about the new queen bee rearing programme, it’s a new and innovative idea that we have introduced at Princesshay this year and hope to make it a huge success. The decline of the honey bee is a well-documented problem and projects like this all help to keep this important species part of the UK habitat. I encourage everybody to help make a difference simply by planting bee friendly plants in their gardens.”
Jason Wallis, head beekeeper at Princesshay will also be running a 1 day course on the basics of bee keeping at the Princesshay offices in May. Those looking to get involved with the course should contact Princesshay Centre Management on 01392 459838 or visit the Princesshay website.
