Q1. How long have you been a beekeeper?
A. I have been a beekeeper since 2011.

Q2. Why did you become a beekeeper?
A. My neighbour was given some old beekeeping equipment including a beehive which we cleaned up thinking that we could be beekeepers together and help save the bees. My garden was much larger than hers so we placed the hive at the bottom of my garden. We then waited around for a swarm to come and settle in, whilst asking local beekeepers to let us know if one became available. After two years waiting, I lost my patience and decided to buy a nuc of bees for the hive. My neighbour then became a full time mum and I took over.

Q3. What is your favourite bit of beekeeping kit?
A. My hive tool, I use it all around the house as well as on the hives. Most useful bit of kit ever and I now have four of them.

Q4. How many bee suits do you have?
A. I have a suit for every two years of beekeeping, so about 5 now. Also bought two
for my daughter so that she can come and help, although she hates flying insects. Asla gave one to the church warden so that he can strim around the hives at the church.

Q5. What is your proudest beekeeping moment?
A. Winning the best frame of honey at my local honey show.

Q6. Do you have a favourite pair of socks?
A. My favourite socks to wear are the ones that fit around my calves without cutting the blood circulation although these are mostly black as I wear them for work. However my favourite socks for pattern are the ones that look like they are eating my leg.

Q7. Who is your beekeeping hero or heroine?
A. I am not sure that I have a hero beekeeper. I am just impressed with and envious of anyone who manages more than10 hives and keeps them alive year after year. I just don’t have the time.

Q8. What beekeeping disasters have you had?
A. The worst disaster so far was losing my one and only hive to starvation in my second year beekeeping. Learnt a lot since then and haven’t had what I would call a disaster since.

Q9. Which aspect of beekeeping do you like best?
A. I love a nice calm day when I have time just to go and look at the hives, checking that they are in good health and are doing well.

Q10. What is your least favourite beekeeping job?
A. Dealing with an ‘arsy’ colony.

Q11. If you didn’t keep bees, would you be a campanologist or a Morris dancer?
A. I tried to become a Morris dancer when I was a young girl. It was frowned upon then and I decided that I did not want to be the person that had to fight about it. It’s also exhausting and they drink a lot of beer, not my favourite tipple. Therefore, campanologist would be a more suitable.

Q12. What would be your best bit of beekeeping advice?
A. Be patient.

Q13. What would your last meal be?
A. My last meal would have to be one I don’t have to chew cos I expect to live a lot longer than my teeth. Rice pudding always goes down well as long as it has a very nice jam on top.

Q14. What is your favourite bit of a bee?
A. Their tongue is great. I love seeing it out collecting nectar and sugar syrup but hate to see them out in dead bees.

Q15. When you think about your bees, what makes you smile?
A. Thinking about the pollen sacs filled with pollen and them being busy in and out of the hive.

Q16. Do you like honey?
A. I love it and would eat honey all day every day if it wasn’t so fattening!

Q17. What annoys you about bees (apart from the stings)?
A. The way they stick everything together with propolis and how they always manage to get in the way when you close up the hive.

Q18. Do you talk to your bees?
A. I often talk talk to the bees whilst I am with them. When I had them in the garden, I would go and tell them things. Now they are in an out-apiary they get less information and more telling off.

Q19. How often are you asked to stop talking about bees?
A. Strangely, I have never been asked to stop talking about bees and often have strangers ask me questions as soon as they find out that I am a beekeeper. My daughter will laugh at me sometimes when I start talking about them in company.

Q20. Do you prefer sweet or savoury nibbles?
A. I definitely prefer sweet nibbles but will usually eat savoury ones.

Q21. What other interests do you have besides beekeeping?
A. I read (a lot! Mostly fantasy and Sci-Fi), knit, build jigsaws ( I especially like the 3-D ones). play board games (when I can find an opponent), pottering in the garden, watching films and TV series. I also enjoy DIY, using skills that I have learnt over the years and getting to use tools.

Q22. Who would you like to inspect a hive with?
A. I like to inspect hives with anyone, because everyone has a variety of experience and approach. So whether experienced or beginner, I find the different aspects a learning curve.

Q23. What sums up your attitude to bees and beekeeping?
A. I try to be calm and patient as possible at all times but I am still learning as well.

Q1. How long have you been a beekeeper?
A. For approximately 22 years now.

Q2. Why did you become a beekeeper?
A. I always had a fascination for bees from as far back as I can remember, but a chance holiday to Mablethorpe had me take up beekeeping as a hobby.

Q3. What is your favourite bit of beekeeping kit?
A. My fold up bucket. It takes up no space in the van, and I don’t forget to put it in as it is always there.

Q4. How many bee suits do you have?
A. I have lost count, probably somewhere between 10 and 15?

Q5. What is your proudest beekeeping moment?
A. My first talk on bee removal at Stafford Bee group.

Q6. Do you have a favourite pair of socks?
A. Black Russian Navy socks from Army Surplus store in Ripley.

Q7. Who is your beekeeping hero or heroine?
A. I don’t really have one, but do have a great admiration for those that share their knowledge and experiences without prejudice. I like the works of Brother Adam, Clive de Bruyn and also enjoy listening to the likes of Anne Chilcott, Prof. Tom Seeley and Michael Palmer.

Q8. What beekeeping disasters have you had?
A. Too many to list, but I do not look at them as disasters, more like life lessons, because you never stop learning and disasters just make us better beekeepers

Q9. Which aspect of beekeeping do you like best?
A. Spring inspections. After the long winter months there is nothing more pleasurable than opening a hive on a warm spring day, as the trees, plants, birds and bees begin to come to life.

Q10. What is your least favourite beekeeping job?
A. Any job that involves honey, extracting and even jarring up. I know, I know, it sounds odd, but I so hate getting sticky.

Q11. If you didn’t keep bees, would you be a campanologist or a Morris dancer?
A. Mmm… Neither really ring my bell or have me waving my handkerchief with excitement. I’m having cold sweats just trying to think of an alternative.

Q12. What would be your best bit of beekeeping advice?
A. Take your time and enjoy it.

Q13. What would your last meal be?
A. I like food! So it is difficult for me to say one thing, but when I think about it, rabbit stew the way my mum would make it….

Q14. What is your favourite bit of a bee?
A. The sting… Ironically, I have a lot of respect for that part.

Q15. When you think about your bees, what makes you smile?
A. How bees have become the reason I get out of bed in the morning.

Q16. Do you like honey?
A. No.

Q17. What annoys you about bees (apart from the stings)?
A. Honey! it’s so sticky

Q18. Do you talk to your bees?
A. Yes, and I talk to everyone’s bees as well as my own.

Q19. How often are you asked to stop talking about bees?
A. Having a job like mine, all people want to do is talk bees, but I don’t have a problem with that.

Q20. Do you prefer sweet or savoury nibbles?
A. No real preference, it’s food and I like food.

Q21. What other interests do you have besides beekeeping?
A. Narrowboats, they are so relaxing and if I ever retire, it’s where I want to be.

Q22. Who would you like to inspect a hive with?
A. Richard Branson, Alan Sugar or Deborah Meaden. People in business fascinate me.

Q23. What sums up your attitude to bees and beekeeping?
A. There is no right or wrong way in beekeeping, only the way that suits you and your lifestyle. However, having dealt with a lot of bees in buildings in my work, I do believe in practising responsible beekeeping

Q1. How long have you been a beekeeper?
A. I have been keeping bees since 2009 – so this is my 12th season.

Q2. Why did you become a beekeeper?
A. I have always been fascinated by bees. My mother would take us on day trips to Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham. Just down the road by the Pebble Mill was a ‘zoo’ which had an observation hive by the entrance. I thought that this was the best bit of the visit and always liked the idea of keeping bees myself. 30-odd years later I saw an item on the news about declining bees and googled beekeeping associations and found out that I was15 minutes away from my local one. The rest is history.

Q3. What is your favourite bit of beekeeping kit?
A. I don’t have a favourite bit of beekeeping kit. Although, I have wellies that I can zip up tight. I have had a few instances where bees have gone down my wellies and it’s not nice. So being able to zip up your wellies tight around your calf is a nice thing to have.

Q4. How many bee suits do you have?
A. I have 3 sets of beekeeping kit that I use but I prefer the separate trousers and jacket to the all in one suit. I just find it more comfortable. I also have a Scarlet sized children’s suit.

Q5. What is your proudest beekeeping moment?
A. My proudest beekeeping moment is achieving the BBKA Master Beekeeper certificate. It took me a long time and was a lot of work but it definitely made me a better beekeeper studying for it.

Q6. Do you have a favourite pair of socks?
A. I don’t have favourite socks.

Q7. Who is your beekeeping hero or heroine?
A. My beekeeping hero. I have lots and too many to mention. Obviously Geoff Hopkinson B.E.M. N.D.B. has been a massive influence on me. I really admire people like Tom Seeley, Mark Winston, David Tarpy and Robert E. Page Jnr. However, if there was one beekeeper that I could be like it would be Marin Anastasov. He is very knowledgeable about every aspect of bees and beekeeping. He is also highly skilled and to watch him handle bees is a delight.

Q8. What beekeeping disasters have you had?
A. I think the worst disaster I had is when I made up a really strong nuc and moved to another apiary. I left the strap in place and it covered the entrance. When I realised it was too late and all of the bees were dead. It was horrible and I haven’t repeated
that.

Q9. Which aspect of beekeeping do you like best?
A. The aspect of beekeeping that I like best is creating new colonies. Making up nucs and adding new queens or queen cells and then inspecting them a week or two later to see eggs in beautiful new comb.

Q10. What is your least favourite beekeeping job?
A. My least favourite beekeeping job is cleaning dirty equipment. It seems never ending. I don’t usually recycle frames I usually burn them. However, I have a massive pile of frames that need boiling and scraping – I’ll probably end up burning them.

Q11. If you didn’t keep bees, would you be a campanologist or a Morris dancer?
A. No !

Q12. What would be your best bit of beekeeping advice?
A. Best beekeeping advice. Geoff would say ‘Keep your bees alive, dead bees gather no honey’. However, I think that is taken as read and I’d say “never miss the opportunity to mark a queen”. If you think to yourself “I’ll mark her next time” then 9 times out of 10 you will be in desperate need to find her before she is marked.

Q13. What would your last meal be?
A. My last meal would be a curry with a hot buttered naan and onion bhajis.

Q14. What is your favourite bit of a bee?
A. My favourite bit of a bee is the antenna cleaner. It is so clever.

Q15. When you think about your bees, what makes you smile?
A. Successful queen rearing makes me smile. Heavy supers make me smile. Pollen going in the hive makes me smile. Eggs in cells make me smile. There is not a lot about beekeeping that doesn’t make me smile other than disease.

Q16. Do you like honey?
A. I love honey. Especially on Greek yoghurt with some chopped nuts.

Q17. What annoys you about bees (apart from the stings)?
A. The thing that annoys me about bees is that the more I learn the less I realise I know about bees. The other thing that annoys me about bees is that they make me feel very mortal. I now notice the passing seasons much more and I’m very aware that I may only have 30 beekeeping seasons left (if I’m very lucky).

Q18. Do you talk to your bees?
A. I talk to the bees all of the time. I’m usually asking them to come out of the way or I’m apologising for being clumsy.

Q19. How often are you asked to stop talking about bees?
A. I’m past volunteering information about the bees – people ask me and I respond but usually my answer is ‘it depends’.

Q20. Do you prefer sweet or savoury nibbles?
A. What does ‘or’ mean? I like savoury but I have a real sweet tooth. Have you tried my fudge?

Q21. What other interests do you have besides beekeeping?
A. Other interests…..I work full time for Jaguar Land Rover in vehicle efficiency research based out of (home currently) Warwick University. I am a qualified World Snooker coach and have my own full size snooker table. I enjoy walking (in the sunshine) (to the pub) and I enjoy good food and drink. The link to beekeeping is cake !

Q22. Who would you like to inspect a hive with?
A. I’d like to inspect a hive with Angelina Jolie – did you see the video she did for World Bee Day ?

Q23. What sums up your attitude to bees and beekeeping?
A. My attitude to beekeeping is …. I learn something new every time I open a hive. Observation is the key. Look, look and look again. People say ‘I can’t find the queen’ or a ‘I can’t see eggs’ – it is just practice looking in the right way. Looking is the key. We spend ages getting to the apiary and then ages getting ready, putting your kit on and lighting the smoker and then we give a cursory glance at the bees. We need to be looking longer and better.