Life is sweet for park bees
13 October 2010
The new bees at Wythenshawe Park have produced their first batch of honey and have been given the seal of approval by the Lord Mayor of Manchester.
The bees arrived at the park last winter and thanks to the care of the Wythenshawe Park Bee Club, have made enough honey for over a hundred jars, two of which were given to the Lord Mayor, Councillor Mark Hackett and Councillor Mike Amesbury at a recent event in the park to celebrate the work in the walled garden.
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council's executive member for culture and leisure said: "I'm really looking forward to tasting the honey and will enjoy it even more knowing that it has been produced at one of the city's own parks. I'm really proud of what has been achieved here and thank the Wythenshawe Park Bee Club and park staff for all their hard work in making it happen."
The slightly runny honey is a light golden colour and is sure to go down a treat with park visitors after being declared "absolutely gorgeous" by the Lord Mayor.
Nigel Palmer, Secretary of Wythenshawe Park Bee Club, said: "The honey gets its particular taste and texture from the vast variety of flora in the area, including Himalayan Balsam. The bees fly within a mile and a half radius for pollen, so Wythenshawe residents may well have seen park bees in their gardens."
While visiting the park, the Lord Mayor bravely donned a bee-keeping suit to look into one of the hives in the developing apiary, even lifting out one of the frames full of bees to see the insects up close. A number of bees appeared to be fascinated by his regalia, which the Lord Mayor hung around his neck over the bee suit. Bees appear on the Lord Mayor's chain and the city's crest as a symbol of Manchester, representing hard work and industry.
The original bees came from Eastern Europe but have been breeding and mixing in with other bees in the area. The park now has seven colonies with around 250,000 bees.
Manchester City Council now hopes to introduce hives into other Manchester parks to help boost the decreasing numbers of honeybees, which are essential for the survival of much of the surrounding environment. The council aims to create more sustainable environments in which they can survive, gather pollen and produce honey to feed their life-cycle.
