At a time when the UK bee population is in decline
there's no better way to make a difference than to start
up your own beehive. Steve Benbow's enormous success
with urban beekeeping show's how easy it is to keep
bees, whether you're in the city or in the countryside,
a beginner or an experienced beekeeper, and you'll never
look back once you've tasted your very own sticky,
golden honey, or lit a candle made from the beeswax from
your beehive. Steve Benbow is a visionary beekeeper who
started his first beehive ten years ago on the roof of
his tower block in Bermondsey and today runs 30 sites
across the city. His bees live atop the Tate Modern and
Tate Britain, Fortnum & Mason and the National
Portrait Gallery, and he supplies honey to the Savoy
tearooms, Harvey Nichols, Harrods and delis across
London. His bees forage in parks, cemeteries, along
railway lines and in window boxes, and because of the
diversity of the plants and trees in the city, produce
far richer honey and greater yields than they would in
rural areas.The Urban Beekeeper is a fact-filled diary
and practical guide to beekeeping that follows a year in
the life of Steve and his bees and shows how keeping
bees and making your own delicious honey is something
anyone can do. It is a tempting glimpse into a sunlit
lifestyle that starts with the first rays of the morning
and ends with the warm glow of sunset, filled with
oozing honeycomb, recipes for sensational honey-based
dishes, and honey that tastes like sunshine. A hugely
affectionate but practical diary of a beekeeper's year
and the immense satisfaction of harvesting your own
delicious honey. Read it and join the revolution. |
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