Bees have always fascinated me, regardless of which species, their selfless industry is an example to us all. Without the bees, we will be in dire straits indeed, as many crops, especially fruits are dependant on them for pollination, and the subsequent crops of apples, pears, and many other ordinary every day foods we take for granted.

In hazy summer days in my garden in years gone by, the buzz of insects, and especially honey bees was the background track I listened to as  I worked or lazed. A steady soothing low toned buzz, that only varied slightly as each insect flew from flower to flower, drinking nectar and collecting pollen for later turning into honey via a mystical chemical process, that we still don't full understand today.

Honey and its by products have be attributed with all manner of magical and healing powers over the millennia, and bees go far back in our human history. We can not tame or domesticate them, but we have learned to exploit their activity. Honey has many uses, from a delicious food we can eat, to natural antibiotic, useful in the healing of wounds, and frequently found in folk medicine. The wax is used to create clean burning candles, and the ancient monasteries that created works of great beauty such as the Book of Kells, and the Lindisfarne Gospels, kept bees for these very reasons, to heal, and to make candles so they had better light for the creation of illuminated manuscripts. Royal Jelly has been attributed with many properties throughout history, and Propolis, a resiny type excretion used by the bees to fill gaps and resurface areas within a colonies home, whether it be a tree hollow or a hive, has been used in the production of varnishes, and a multitude of health supplements, and we continue to use them today.

Sadly, bees are in serious decline, in part due to a parasite that has travelled from Asia; the Varroa mite. Recent research indicates a 'cure' may not be too far off for this, and out western Honey bees may get the help they need to battle this parasite and help prevent colony decline and death. More worryingly, however, are the recent reports of chemicals being used in farming called Clothianidin are having a highly toxic effect on bee populations and directly contributing to the massive collapses of bee colonies.

So what can we do about it - there are the usual channels, lobby your MP, MEP, or other government officials depending on your country of origin. Stop using pesticides and chemicals in your own gardens, and try and encourage bees by planting crops and flowers vital to their life cycle.

I have done all this, and have decided to take it a step further, and keep bees too. To this end I started taking classes with a local Bee-keeping Association, and so far have spent many happy hours learning the theory of bee keeping, their life cycle, about how to maintain healthy colonies, and everything I need to know to keep happy healthy bees. This week we were handed some frames to inspect. They had the ubiquitous hexagonal wax cells on them created by worker bees. Close your eyes and inhale the fragrance and it takes you straight to a fragrant barmy July day. The perfection of each cell was remarkable, and we learned to distinguish the cells used for the different types of bee larva, workers, drones, and queens, and their various life cycles, and what influences how a bee larva will turn out. The chemistry is mind boggling.

The classes are very thorough and well attended, and I know both my local Associations are oversubscribed with people wanting to do exactly the same as me, and have waiting lists. Like allotments, it seems to be the latest thing to interest those of us who are concerned about the world we live in, and how we can make a small contribution to trying to maintain the status quo and live more lightly in the environment.

Whilst the dark nights and short days continue, we will continue with the Theory lessons, but come April, as the days warm and lengthen we are promised weekly afternoons in a apiary learning hands on about how to keep bees. I for one cant wait, although I am not sure I am looking forward to earning my wings as a bee-keeper and living up to the maxim 'You aren't a bee-keeper until you have been stung!'

I heard yesterday that there is a site  in an adjacent village that I can put my own hives on, so I am very excited at this prospect and busily researching which type of hives I want and whether to follow the county standard, or go my own way, and choose a Top Bar set up, which although less productive, is a more natural way to keep bees, than the more usual set ups of brood boxes and super in one form or another.   Time will tell.