Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Beekeeping in Glasgow.

Currently beekeepers are prohibited from keeping bees (or any other livestock) on allotments. In response to requests from plotholders, the provision of hives on allotments is being considered. 

Partnership working is taking place between Glasgow & District Beekeeping Association, Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Allotments Forum to discuss what support is required for beekeeping. Consultation is ongoing with allotment associations to identify the level of interest in bee-keeping and gather information from pilot projects on specific sites.Councillors supported a motion from Green Councillors to agree a policy for beekeeping on allotments by the end of 2013.

The honey bee is under threat and its best chance of survival is surprisingly in cities. Glasgow offers a very rich foraging area for bees including established allotments. Beekeepers on allotments can take a key role in the city's efforts to reverse the decline of bees. 

Awareness of the importance of bees has been increased by the film production "More Than Honey" which was shown as part of the Green Film Festival. At this film secreening, I met with various stakeholders interested in beekeeping across Glasgow. It would be helpful for  sustaining activity if beekeeping expertise is supported by a coordinated approach to supporting bees. There is a need to from a strategy to identify sites for hives and support creation of suitable habitats for bees. This comes from learning from beekeeping experience in other cities such as London.

In the next year, I hope to support beekeeping by working with council officials interested in beekeeping, Glasgow Beekeepers Association, specialist staff from Glasgow Life, and people involved in beekeeping projects such as Johnny's Garden, and Urban Roots.


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