Absolutely buzzing! - Hundreds attend the Wiltshire Bee & Honey Day

Hundreds of people turned out in the rain for Devizes' Wiltshire Bee & Honey Day over the weekend.

Hosted by the Wiltshire Beekeepers Association, the event incorporated the Wiltshire Honey Show. The national judges from the British Beekeepers Association – Suzy Perkins, Hazel Blackburn and trainee BBKA judge Claire O’Brian – had their work cut out for them with some 311 entries from beekeepers all over the county in classes ranging from clear honey to cut comb and from candles to mead.

At the event, Rosie Boyd of Chippenham became the youngest beekeeper in Wiltshire to be awarded the Basic Certificate in Beekeeping. Richard Oliver, Chair of Wiltshire Beekeepers Association, said: "She is an inspiration to all beekeepers and will go far."

Her father, Angus Boyd, walked away with the King Shield for the best jar of honey out of 80 entries, as well as the Methuen Cup for the individual with most points in the honey show. 

Alan Hepper of Devizes was awarded the Lovegrove Memorial Trophy for the best bottle of mead in the show.

Meanwhile, the open classes, brand new to the show, received 56 entries from 50 members of the public, most of whom are pupils from three local schools – All Cannings C of E Primary School, Nursteed Community Primary School, and Rowdeford School.

Ma Cuisine cook shop in Devizes judged the Three Cup Cakes Decorated in the Theme of a Bee class, which was won by 8-year-old Katie Bollen of Potterne. Councillor Andy Geddes, Mayor of Devizes, was judging the Bee Made Out of Fruit or Vegetables class, and the Artistic Exhibit Relating to Bees or Beekeeping class. The former was won by 6-year-old Meredith Martin from All Cannings School, while the latter was won by 10-year-old Nathalie Dennis of Nursteed Primary School.  

Speakers on the day included Phil Stevenson, who gave a talk on The Ecological Functions of Nectar and Pollen Toxins. This covered some aspects of his recent research into nectar and pollen toxins, showing how they have some surprising effects on bees, and may actually help increase pollination success and even the health of bees. Examples include the toxins in Rhododendron nectar that are highly poisonous to honeybees but harmless to the Bombus terrestris, so conserving the nectar of this invasive species for bumble bees. Another example was the amazing memory-improving effects of caffeine on bees, with potential benefits including improved pollination of strawberries. Phil Stevenson is Professor of Plant Chemistry at the Natural Resources Institute (University of Greenwich) and also at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Another speak for the event included Robert Smith, NDB, who has been keeping bees since the 1970s, spoke to a packed audience on two vital aspects of managing honeybee colonies – managing brood-rearing to produce a bumper honey crop, and managing the other side of the coin: when the colony decides to reproduce itself and swarm.

For further information visit www.wiltshirebeekeepers.org.uk