Good news

YORK LIFE Bee-hind the scenes Bee-hind the scenes

We caught up with Pete Allanson from Shire Honey in York to find out what it’s like being a full-time bee keeper.

When he was a kid, Pete Allanson would swell up whenever he got stung by a bee. Fast forward to today, and he’s a fulltime beekeeper who supplies honey and mead to York businesses. And if your first question is how often does a beekeeper get stung? (Like ours was), Pete’s happy to answer candidly: “Daily. And yes, it still hurts. Your body gets resistant to it, but there’s a couple of little red spots there on my finger that’s where I’ve been stung. I went out on Monday, and I was wearing shorts but had the bee suit on, and they decided to go for my thigh muscles. I must’ve got about 10 to 20 stings in my thigh muscles. The air was blue.” Originally a farmer, Pete moved to York in 1989 but didn’t discover beekeeping until 2000: “I was working with a local builder who kept bees, and he got us interested. But the next time I got stung, I swelled up badly. So that put me off for a few more years. In 2005, I thought: oh, just go for it and see if you build up resistance - which I have done. If I get stung on my arms - that doesn’t affect me. If I get stung on my face where there’s not a lot of muscle, it will come up, but only for half an hour.” Beekeeping began as a hobby, with just three or four hives. But in 2010, Pete was forced to make a decision on beekeeping full time: “Around 2010 I got made redundant from the factory where I was working so I just sort of thought, aw just go for it, which was a struggle at the start. Because I still had a mortgage then, but now that it’s paid off and the kids have left home, we only need a cheap lifestyle.” “And we’ve slowly built up, it’s been organic growth, we’ve tried to avoid borrowed money and fancy equipment and stuff like that. It’s well, 2005 to now, 16 years. It’s been done on a secure foundation.” Pete says that the key to beekeeping is patience and perseverance, and after talking about his day-to-day, we can see why. Beekeeping, like farming, is at nature’s mercy: “Around about this time of year, I would take them [the bees] to the North York Moors, but last year it was devastated by the heather beetle. I’ve got to go up and check to see whether the heather’s recovered. And see whether it will be alright. I took 60 colonies up last year, and I got £60 worth of honey.” There’s also swarming season to contend with, which, while a natural part of bees natural cycles, can be hard work for beekeepers: “You can end up losing the swarm. Half the bees will just leave once a colony has swarmed and you’ve lost your honey crop from that hive for the rest of the year, so you’re always fighting a battle.” Of course, Pete wouldn’t be doing it if it was all work and no play: “I enjoy working with the bees the most, but it is also nice to know that I have made something from start to finish with the Mead.”

If you’d like to try the honey or mead that Pete produces, there are plenty of places to turn to. Pete has a successful partnership with Horns of Odin, a Yorkshire online retailer specialising in Norse inspired products. Visit www.hornsofodin. com to purchase online.

MEMORIALS

In York, you’ll find honey from Pete (Shire Honey) at Millie’s Veg, Bishopthorpe Road, Love Veg in Heworth, Brunswick Nursery, The Greengrocer in Acomb. Pete also does some local farmers markets in York, Ilkley and Harrogate. He’s also doing a weekend stall at York Food Festival, which runs from 17th-26th September.

KITCHEN WORKTOPS

Bespoke Design Manufacture Installation

Bespoke Design Manufacture Installation

Additional Inscription Renovations 01845 522523

Domestic and commercial worktops in Granite, Marble, Quartzstone and Corian®