The local honeybee population has been falling into decline in recent years, under the dual threats of the local climate and Varroa Jacobsoni, a parasitic mite. But without honeybees, local products such as honey, pollen, bees wax and Royal Jelly would be a thing of the past.

The Alnwick & District Beekeeping Association is setting up a training apiary to introduce people of all ages to bee-keeping and save the threatened species. The number of beekeepers in the North East has declined dramatically in recent years and the project will be promoting the benefits of the craft to a wider audience. The traditional craft of beekeeping began many centuries ago, and can trace its roots to the monks on Lindisfarne. They brewed Lindisfarne Mead, a sweet honey-based alcoholic drink traditionally found in Northumberland made with fermented white grapes and herbs.

Beekeeping skills are just as relevant today as they were many centuries ago and the project is doing its utmost to prove this. To help safeguard the heritage of the honeybee, project members will be carrying out a survey of honeybees and bumble bees. The group has already attracted 10 trainees who will be shown the intricacies of the craft using a training apiary of 10 beehives based near Felton. Additional volunteers will carry out vital research and conservation of the species in a beekeeping survey.

Brian Ripley, of the Alnwick and District Beekeepers Association believes there are many people who would love to be able to keep bees themselves. “We are going to set up a training apiary and give people a hive of their own for 12 months, and if at the end of the time they want to keep going they can take the bees away to their own apiary.”