London Revealed - Issue 11 - July & August 2019

LONDON REVEALED JULY-AUGUST 2019 ELEVENTH EDITION
What’s been your career
highlight so far?
It’s difficult to pick one out as
there have been so many but
opening a hive for the first time and
seeing the amazing world inside has still
not been bettered. I love seeing London
from the tops of some iconic buildings
and teaching children about bees is
really satisfying.
What are the best and worst parts of the job?
The freedom and independence is really great. I
love being in touch with the weather and the
seasons. The changing world of nature is always
exhilarating. I would say the worst part of the
job would have to be getting stung.
How often do you get stung?
Too often.
"PEOPLE HAVE NO
IDEA HOW MANY
HIVES THERE ARE IN
LONDON AND HOW
MANY BEES. A LOT OF
PEOPLE ALSO DON’T
REALISE HOW GREEN
THE CITY IS.”
How do you become a
beekeeper?
Find someone to take you under
their wing or come along to our bee
club at Coram’s Fields and learn the basics.
Is there anything surprising that people
wouldn’t know about beekeeping? Or
anything you wished they knew?
People have no idea how many hives there
are in London and how many bees. A lot of
people also don’t realise how green the city is.
How easy is it to spot the queen bee?
You learn to pick her out after a while. She’s
bigger and a different shape to the other bees
and she scuttles around in a particular way.
Many of our queens are marked with a little
blob of paint to make her stand out from the
crowd.
Is beekeeping a solo job or are you
part of a team?
It’s a bit of both. Often I am
out on my own, but I also
work very closely with Luke
and other beekeepers, so it
can be quite sociable.
What do you do in your spare time?
What spare time? During the season the bees
keep me busy 24/7. When things calm down in
the winter I get back to catching up with friends,
learning about permaculture and campaigning
for a better world. I also love spending time with
my ferret called Rolly.
31