The Beekeeper

Hi, I’m Matt, and welcome to Actual Honey!

My first experience with bees, beyond seeing them out and about on flowers, was a taster day with the Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association (HRBKA) back in 2018. The session consisted of a morning crash course in bees, looking at the hive structure, organisation and some basic bits about bee biology. I was already totally enthralled by the level of complexity that these seemingly quite simple creatures actually possess. In the afternoon we donned bee suits and went to look at the bees in action at the association’s apiary at RHS Harlow Carr. I will admit I had some trepidation about being surrounded by thousands of flying bees, but found the experience mesmerising. There was something about the sound of the wings buzzing, the focus the bees had on completing their work… they weren’t interested in us, they were busy getting on with their important work!

It wasn’t until 2022 where I truly began my beekeeping journey when I joined onto the HRBKA’s two year beekeeping beginners course. We started in January with a term in the classroom where we went into great depth on all the aspects of beekeeping, followed by a summer term in the apiary at Fountains Abbey getting hands on experience with the bees, applying the knowledge we had acquired in the classroom and going through inspections and getting comfortable with handling the bees. It was at the end of these sessions I got my first hive, which I immediately needed to begin preparing for their first winter.

While my bees were overwintering, we were back in the classroom the following January to consolidate our practical experience and further develop our theory knowledge. I completed the course in April 2023 and was flying solo with the bees! The bees built up nicely when the flowers began to bloom and they began hauling in the nectar which would later become the very first batch of Actual Honey.

Another winter came and went and in 2024 I sat my first exam, the Basic Assessment. This is the basic practical competency exam run by the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) which involves an assessed inspection of a hive while answering various questions. 2024 also saw the collection of my first swarm which become Hive 2 and the harvesting of Batch 2 of Actual Honey. I have also been volunteering as an assistant tutor on the practical sessions of the 2 year beginners course to help train the next wave of local beekeepers.

My future plans involve taking the first set of theory exams and General Husbandry exam to work towards becoming a Qualified Beekeeper while continuing to support the education of new beekeepers, spreading the word on the importance of buying local honey to support beekeepers and the role and protection of pollinators.