My interest in bees started about twenty years ago, buried in books and magazines. It took a few years before I finally took the plunge, signed up for a course, and got some proper hands-on experience. Ironically, back then—and even now—I don't actually like honey! But I firmly believed learning to keep bees was a worthy cause, and I do love using my own honey to craft pineapple and cider vinegars for my salads, after all they are sooooooooooooo Interestering.

I still remember finishing my course and heading to work at Beacon, not far from Camborne. Right on cue, a small swarm turned up, hanging precariously off the end of a bit of guttering. I'll be honest, I didn't know what I was doing, but I somehow managed to coax the swarm into a cardboard box and transport them safely home. 

Since that day, I’ve taught several people how to keep bees and lost track of how many colonies I’ve rescued from people’s homes, roofs, stables, gardens and chimney pots—often finishing up long past midnight.

After 30 years as a time-served carpenter building everything from houses to bespoke wine racks, knowing my way around buildings definitely comes in handy when extracting bees from awkward spaces.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with all sorts of hives and different approaches to beekeeping. But just when you think you’ve finally figured them out, the bees will go, "No, no!" and do something completely unexpected.

After all, the golden rule always applies,

"the bees will do what the bees will do"!