BBKA Forum

The episode of Hidden Britain by Drone on Ch4 has bees on, Tony Robinson spoke to a beekeeper who has bees on top of Fortnum and Mason, It mentions the guy having 30 colonies across London. It was about 5 minutes in. I assume it will be on ch 4 catchup

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/catchup

Yes I saw that too. The chap Steve Benbow did a book on his life and urban bee operation a few years ago. Good read as I remember. It suggested he had 30 hives but I assumed that meant just rooftop, I would have thought that he had a lot more than that in total. I think he did another book with Alys Flowers I was given.

I think the Fortnums roof hives were very ornamental and made of oak. Nice and light to carry I should imagine...

Crikey, oak hives! They won't blow over that's for sure.

Ain’t that the case!

One of things I remember from his book was the logistical and physical challenges of getting hives onto some of these rooftop locations was as nothing to ferrying full supers down ladders and through busy buildings to an on street parked vehicle in central London. Nightmare.

Makes my puffing and wheezing with a wheelbarrow through an orchard seem laughably simple.

Full supers down ladders! I suppose when you think about it though , the price per lb of honey in central London and how much honey is in a super and if it's the guys job, possibly not as bonkers as you might first imagine.