What's it all about?

It's about keeping bees in an urban setting.

This may mean a small garden, roof terrace, or an allotment.

Beekeeping doesn't need to be the reserve of the country folk and you don't need a huge amount of space to keep them.

It is possible to have bees in the city and you know what... the honey is gorgeous because our urban honeybees have such a variety of plants and flowers to choose from.

Each of the city gardens are as unique as their owners and the bees just love the variety.

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Why should I keep bees I the city?

Honeybees have been having a hard time. Their numbers are falling and yet they play a vital role in our eco system, pollinating flowering plants and crops.

Bees seem to do well in an urban environment where there is a rich diversity of plants, flowers and trees in our gardens, railway sidings, roads and disused pieces of land.

They are also a great way to reconnect urban dwellers with nature. Many of us are suffering from what has been termed "nature-deficit disorder" and there is nothing better to cure this than to come home after a hard day in the office and watch your honeybees bringing nectar and pollen into their hive.

We need more green spaces in our cities and becoming a beekeeper is part of a growing movement to green our cities. If you love honey, then you'll be glad to hear that honey from cities is thought to be more flavoursome than honey from the countryside because of the diversity of nectar on offer.

Although not scientifically proven, local honey is also said to cure hay fever.

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How do you do it?

Keeping bees takes knowledge, practice and a bit of luck. Bees get on with things themselves and all we need to do is make sure they are doing it in a healthy and happy way. You need a bit of equipment before you get going including a hive, a smoker and a bee suit and gloves.

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How much time does it take?

Bees are not like a dog. There's little feeding and no walks. You'll only need to check on your bees from the spring through to autumn and then it's only a couple of hours a week. If you go away, you can skip the odd week here and there with a few precautions in place.

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How much does it cost?

Unfortunately the set up costs of beekeeping aren't cheap these days.

A hive and all the equipment can cost between £350-£500, then there's the bee suit, anything from £20-£100, and the bees themselves cost £150 this summer.

You could get a swarm of bees free from a beekeepers if you are very lucky, but demand is so high from new beekeepers that it is advised to buy your bees - then you are not leaving things to chance. So in total, it could cost you £750 to get going. But after the initial outlay, the annual outgoings are maybe £200 a year.

So, it's not a cheap way to produce honey! There is, however, a lot of choice out there. You can buy budget or the best. Check out our links page for beekeeping suppliers and browse their sites for an idea of the cost.

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What about the neighbours?

It's a good idea to tell immediate neighbours you are going to be keeping bees, but there are no laws that say you have to.

Bees are only interested in nectar and pollen from flowers, unlike wasps which are carniverous, so the bees should not bother your neighbours. Once people know this they usually have no problem.

The only time bee can become defensive and are more likely to sting is when the beekeeper opens up and inspects the hive. So it is advisable to do this weekly hive inspection when neighbours are not around.

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Getting started

The bees' season starts in spring. So get ready over winter for the arrival of your bees. Read some books on the subject.

Check out our links for some ideas. Go on a starter course.

All the beekeeping associations run them and so do we throughout the autumn and winter. Come to our starter courses. Beekeeping courses, London

It's fun, easy and rewarding.

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What about the honey

Bees turn nectar into honey for their winter stores.

We give them extra space in the hive so they can make honey surplus to their requirements which we then harvest and eat. You can expect to harvest on average 40lbs of honey each year from one hive from end of May through to August.

The honey tastes and looks different depending when the bees make it and what plants are in flower at that time.

London honey tends to be multifloral and lighter and delicate tasting in early summer and getting darker and richer tasting as the summer progresses.

Harvesting the honey is great fun, albeit sticky. Kids love spinning it off the comb.

When our bees produce more then enough honey for our own needs we do sell the extra. Click this link to take you to the honey sales page.

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I can offer my garden space.

We hear of beekeepers who have a lack of space in their urban dwellings and would love to find a willing host for their beehive and we also have offers from people offering their space to give to experienced beekeepers.

If you have the space and are interested in hosting a beehive without having to do the beekeeping we may be able to match you up with a beekeeper.

Go to our map pages www.urbanbees.co.uk/map where you can put a marker onto the map with your location and where you could host a beehive.

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