It was monthly meeting time for Salford Angels WI and it was a packed house as usual at The Angel Centre.  After the run through of news, clubs, outings and events it was time for this month’s guest speakers, Jack Hobbs and Harry Davies from Kersal Vale Allotment and Horticultural Society to talk to us about the ins and outs of beekeeping.

Harry kicked off proceedings about a poem about our busy, buzzy friends, which, while highly entertaining also included the fact that over 80% of the food in our shops relies on the bee.  These little insects that we take for granted (or curse if we get stung) are actually a vital part of our food eco-system.

Interestingly, we learned that most honey bees in this country are actually from Italy, having been brought over from The Alps in around 1850.  Some beekeepers are working on projects to try to encourage the return of Britain’s native black bee.

It was a hands-on talk with photos, sections of beehives and even actual honey bees and bumble bees in a jar passed around the room.  Harry and Jack talked us through the life cycles of the insects, how the hive works and honey is made (nectar, pollen and bee spit!), and even included a rather memorable description of the reproductive behaviour of the Queen bee.

The society sells their honey for £5 a jar with all profits going back into the beekeeping project.

At the end of the talk, Harry also handed out a free ‘keep warm’ pack for each of us to keep or pass onto an elderly or vulnerable neighbour including hot water bottle, soup and scarves as part of his work with Helping Hands minor repair service.