Lottery stories
Honey bees don’t just make something that tastes nice on toast: they also play a vital role in pollination. This means whole ecosystems are being affected by the growing threat to the worldwide bee population presented by the varroa mite, which preys on young bees and spreads a deadly virus. With funding from The National Lottery, beekeepers in Pembrokeshire are fighting back against what leading scientists say could be a “global catastrophe” in waiting.
Pembrokeshire Beekeepers Association works across the county to support beekeepers, from beginners to experts. The group’s ‘Prevent the extinction of the honey bee’ project started in 2007, when a vital grant was used to buy ‘instrumental insemination’ equipment to breed bees that are more resistant to the varroa mite.
The inspiration for the project came from Ricky Wilson, a committee member who bred bees commercially for more than 20 years. Several years ago, he noticed that one of his two hives had managed to survive without any intervention or treatment against the mites. “They’d starting fighting back, by biting the mites and grooming themselves and each other,” he says.
In the hope of creating more bees with this ability, the association sent one of its members, a vet, on a training course in using instrumental insemination, and applied for funding to purchase the equipment.
This technique means they can ensure ‘pure mating’ with bees from the same hive, whereas usually queen bees will breed with drones from hives all round the local area.
Ricky now has more than 40 hives bred from the first hive, and provides bees to other members of the association across Pembrokeshire. The association also offers training for people new to beekeeping, to ensure the bees have the best chance of survival.
