Beekeeping in schools

Honeybee hives in school

I am regularly asked about keeping honeybees in school. I usually respond by saying that it is a great idea and will offer the pupils many opportunities for learning about bees and other pollinators, pollination of plants, livestock management, building life skills and working together as a team

There are many more positives too.

I always suggest a school starts with planting for pollinators on their school grounds first though. The more forage there is around for the honeybees, the more successful they will be and you will be supporting other pollinators as well, which is an added bonus.

However, establishing an apiary can be a lot of work for school staff and there are many other points to consider.

You will need a minimum of 2 committed staff who will train as beekeepers.
Honeybee hives need weekly checking from April to October so will need care during the school holidays and possibly in the evenings or at weekends if the weather during the working week hasn’t allowed for inspections.

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You will need training and support from your local beekeeping association. We provide an
introduction to beekeeping course annually for a fee. It is a good idea to have a mentor, an
experienced beekeeper whom you can ask for assistance and queries.

Is your site suitable for beehives? Is there enough space away from the school building, neighbours and local buildings? Is the site secure and safe from vandals and thieves? Do you have storage space for the equipment?

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There is a set-up cost to beekeeping. Hives – £200+ each, bees – £200 per colony, suits – £100 for an adult suit etc. This can be a significant amount of money and there will be ongoing costs for equipment every year. Do you have funding? Can you apply for a grant?

Risk assessments and safety procedures will need to be in place. The apiary will need to be
maintained – grass cut, brambles cut back etc.

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Insurance for the honeybees, public liability and bee disease insurance will be required. You must speak to the insurance department of your Local Authority to say you are planning to have honeybees onsite.

Will the headteacher be supportive? What will other school staff and parents/carers think? Will they be happy?

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You will need a plan for how you will include the pupils and school staff in the honey bee
management and take advantage of the learning opportunities they can all benefit from.

Swarms will be an annual event regardless of how well you manage the bees, they will do what they want to do and it is their natural instinct to swarm. You will need to be prepared for these and take action immediately.

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  Cardiff Beekeeping Association – chair@cardiffbeekeepers.co.uk