Farmers and landowners visiting the Royal Welsh Winter Fair (December 1 & 2) will have the opportunity to discuss the benefits of a new scheme to increase the number of beehives in Wales.
The Cywain Bee project has been set up to boost honey production in Wales by encouraging farmers and landowners to place beehives on their land.
Welsh honey is much in demand, and according to Cywain Bee increasing the number of beehives could not only help the honey industry, but possibly lead to farmers and landowners achieving additional support through environmental management schemes.
Says Cywain Bee Development Manager Haf Wyn Hughes, “We are working with farmers, landowners and beekeepers across Wales to increase production by identifying and improving foraging (feeding) sites for bees, as well as providing a mentoring service for honey producers to add value and access new markets.
“There has been a good response so far, and we will be promoting the scheme at the Winter Fair. We will also be launching our booklet ‘Bees as Friends to Farmers’ which gives advice and tips on where to site beehives and maintaining the right habitat for bees to thrive.”
The bi-lingual booklet developed with input from NFU Cymru, FUW and Pollinator Taskforce in Wales will be available from the FUW and NFU Cymru stands in Exhibition Hall 1 during the Winter Fair.
Topics covered include where best to site beehives, encouraging nesting wild bee species, planting for bees, hedge management, spraying and pesticides, and facts about bees.
Haf Wyn Hughes will also be on both stands each day to discuss the Cywain Bee project with farmers and landowners. Anyone interested in finding out more can meet her at the following times:
8.30am – 10.30am FUW stand
11am – 1pm NFU stand
2pm – 3pm FUW stand
3pm – 4pm NFU stand
Cywain Bee is also drawing attention to a wider audience an additional problem facing beekeepers – that of finding suitable sites for the growing number of hives.
The Welsh Beekeepers’ Association has created a widget on its website www.wbka.com called ‘Hive Locator’ which is aimed at linking members of the public or organisations with a spare plot of land with a local beekeeper looking for a new site.
‘Bees as Friends to Farmers’ will be launched at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.
About Cywain
Cywain was set up by Menter a Busnes to bring added value to primary produce within the agriculture sector. The project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
For more information about the Cywain Bee project please contact:
Haf Wyn Hughes
Cywain Bee Development Manager
Menter a Busnes
01745 770278 / 01248 660075
haf.hughes@menterabusnes.co.uk