Beekeeping at Root Connections
The beekeeping project at Root Connection began in 2019, as a natural extension to the principles behind the creation of a pollinator friendly community garden and is managed by a small team of volunteers.
Our Beekeeping Project
Geoff Rowen at Mendip Apiary along with other local beekeepers, generously supported the creation of our own apiary with the donation of second hand beekeeping equipment and a couple of honeybee swarms. Additional grant money from Nature England / DEFRA has enabled us to buy in more equipment and the aim is to build up our apiary to 6 honey production colonies. This will not only make us financially self-sufficient, but will hopefully also create some extra income to help the overall objective of bringing an end to rural homelessness.
In addition to just the maintenance of our colonies, we are now in a position to be able to offer learning opportunities about all basic aspects of beekeeping, including related activities such as wax wraps and candle making. These sessions are aimed at beginner’s level, so no previous experience in beekeeping is needed and protective clothing is provided as required. We aim to run our sessions in small groups. The content and activities can be tailored to the needs and interests of the participants to provide relevant learning and developmental opportunities within a beekeeping context. For some participants, this could be an opportunity to find out whether beekeeping might be something they would like to take up as a hobby themselves.
Our nominated beekeepers who manage the apiary and run the beekeeping related sessions are members of the national British Beekeepers Association and the affiliated local Association. As such, they have access to training opportunities for developing their own beekeeping practice and are also covered by relevant third party public and products liability insurance.
