Hive Mind
Hive Mind
Pro beekeeper Martin Knight tends to apiaries supported by businesses across the UK – including right here at THE PIG-near Bath.
“THE GOAL IS TO HELP the British bee population, local biodiversity and pollination,” says Martin Knight, of Knight’s Beekeeping, “and to do it by connecting businesses and employees to nature.” A professional beekeeper, Martin offers businesses the chance to support bees in hives that he will maintain on their behalf. Often, that will include employees being given a chance to try some hands-on beekeeping. “I keep bees for businesses all over the country. For those that are local to me and have space – like THE PIG-near Bath – I tend to them on their grounds,” he explains. “For those that are further away, I tend to the bees on my apiaries dotted all around the Cotswolds. Here, there’s an abundance of hedgerows, trees, crops and gardens for the bees to pollinate.” A chance to visit the hives is “great for team building and as a way to really put the values of sustainability and supporting the environment into action,” says Martin. “The fact that my clients also get a crop of honey at the end of it is literally the sweetener in the deal.”
“You open up the hive and there’s a sharp intake of breath”
Martin had long been an enthusiastic amateur beekeeper, and has tended to hives for more than 15 years now, but during the pandemic, like many people, he decided to reorganise his priorities. “I ran a design business for 27 years, and beekeeping in my spare time had always been brilliant for me from a wellbeing perspective: it gave me space, peace, clarity and tranquillity. When Covid happened, I reflected on my life and I made it my focus, rather than something to ‘fit in’.”
When it comes to introducing others to his passion for these essential pollinators, Martin says he “wasn’t quite prepared for the profound impact it would have on people”. He now offers “experience days”, when, for example, a company that is sponsoring some of his hives will send team members to try their hand at beekeeping. “Just the sheer amount of joy that it brings people, but also how it helps with overcoming hurdles and barriers. We get the protective suits on and there’s that slight nervousness in the air and a little bit of chit-chat. Then you open up the hive, and the aroma and the octave of the hive hum goes up, and there’s a sharp intake of breath from everybody. After that, suddenly everyone’s talking and excited, asking, ‘What’s this? What’s that?’ It’s amazing.”
As for what responsible beekeeping involves in practice: “First and foremost, you’re providing bees with a suitable home, in an environment that is going to enable them to thrive,” says Martin. “They’ve got to have ample space to grow and prosper. All the locations of the hives are carefully considered: what are the prevailing winds? Will there be a light source for warmth in the winter? I have to think like a bee, as it were. If we can take some honey at the end of the day that’s surplus to their requirements, fantastic. If you’re just in it for honey, I’m not your man. I’m in it for the environment. I’m in it for the bee.”
Swing by for a drink, celebrate World Bee Day with a Garden Spiced Honey Margarita in our bar or book in your next Kitchen Garden tour and take a look at what's in the grow...
