The University of Chester bee team began in 2021 as a collaboration between the Grounds and Gardens team and also the Catering team who are busy working hard to maintain and protect the bees!
The team now have three very healthy hives that are doing extremely well – and are very likely to establish more hives next year! The current task this month is to make sure the bees are well fed and that the hives are insulated ready to get them through the winter months.
The hives are in a very secluded location in the vicinity of our Exton Park site – in tranquil grounds where they cannot be disturbed.
The team have been lucky enough to have expert guidance and training since the start from Dr Louise Taylor (associate Professor in Health and Social Care here at the University of Chester) and her daughter Sophie who are both passionate beekeepers.
An exciting development for next year is a new cut flower garden adjacent to the beehives, which will be all grown from seed by the team and will provide our bees with a plentiful supply of additional pollen throughout the year. Several months ago, the team collected their first ever jars of honey.
A small number of these could possibly go on sale sometime in the near future – if you have any questions, drop Lisa from the team an email l.owen@chester.ac.uk. Alternatively, follow them on Instagram @universityofchestergardens for any updates!