大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - An unexpected saviour for shrinking bee populations? The school lunch club inspiring a new generation of beekeepers

An unexpected saviour for shrinking bee populations? The school lunch club inspiring a new generation of beekeepers

21 June 2018

Bees are important.

The facts of their declining population and are both well documented, but there’s another problem: most beekeepers are getting on a bit.

“I think the average age is about 60,” explained Lorraine Johnston, a teacher at Annan Academy in Dumfriesshire whose lunchtime beekeeping club now offers her students a chance at a qualification.

“We need lots more young people to get involved to keep [the practice of beekeeping] going.”

Annan Academy Bee Club

Pupils from the Dumfriesshire school describe their beekeeping.

“We wouldn’t exist without bees,” one of the pupils explained, “because they pollinate flowers.

“I think a lot of — not necessarily as a hobby, but generally because bees are important.”

“Bees aren’t doing so well,” said another, “so it’s good that in schools they’re starting to educate people more widely about them.

“I definitely think that more people should get involved in beekeeping because it’s just such an amazing thing that we can all learn — and it’s quite easy to get into.”

Beekeeping used as therapy for illness 馃攰

The number of people creating beehives within cities is on the rise.

Rooftops or areas in small city parks are turned into beehives to encourage growth in the declining urban bee population.