Beekeepers from across Hampshire will be marking 150 years of the British Beekeepers’ Association, by adding a special tree to the local landscape.
Founded in 1874, the charity was originally established as a London-based beekeepers club, and within a decade had evolved into a national organisation. Today, it represents around 30,000 beekeepers across the country, and works to support education around honey bees, while actively campaigning to raise awareness of threats to pollinators.
As part of its year-long 150th birthday celebrations, the BBKA has gifted each of its 75 local associations with a tree to be planted in their apiaries. Each tree has been carefully chosen to support local wildlife by providing an abundant food source for honey bees, bumble bees and other species.
2024 will be an exceptionally busy year for the BBKA and its members, as they fight to tackle increasing threats to native bees – including the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, and the alarming growth in numbers of the highly destructive Asian Hornet, an invasive species which has the potential to cause huge damage to British honey bee populations and the wider ecology.
Meridian Beekeepers’ Association 