Beekeeping blooming in Yorkshire
A one-day workshop on the craft of beekeeping was hosted in the BDC Bioeconomy Outreach Centre and was facilitated by the BioVale team in association with Abelo Ltd.
Workshop teaching the craft and practical aspect of beekeeping
The SME is a supplier of quality beekeeping products and it was offered help in organizing and promoting the event as part of the ERDF-funded Bioeconomy Growth Programme available to Leeds City Region and York, North Yorkshire and East Riding-based businesses. The workshop was aimed at anyone interested in the craft and practical aspect of beekeeping.
The honeybees are under extreme pressure and the number of honeybee populations have been declining over the years so the workshop provided the participants with information on how and where to set up an apiary required to manage a healthy colony. The introduction on hive types, personal equipment and basic principles of bee handling were summarised giving a flavour of what to expect in the first few months of beekeeping.
Damian Cierniak, the owner of Abelo Ltd, who is planning to run more courses on beekeeping as part of his new initiative called the Beekeeping Academy, commented: It was great to see participants of our beekeeping workshop be fascinated by the introduction to the world of bees. It made it worth doing. And the BioVale team assistance was invaluable to successfully deliver our course.
The workshop participants were also shown various honey-based products displayed at the BDC Bioeconomy Outreach Centre including beeswax crayons and wraps and cosmetics. These products are part of an innovative exhibition of everyday products made from renewable materials which aims to inspire companies and provide an educational learning space for business and school groups.
Alice North – a project manager from the BioVale team who helped to organise and facilitated the event commented: I was delighted to be able to assist Abelo develop and deliver this successful event as part of our Bioeconomy Growth Programme. Our Bioeconomy Outreach Centre was the ideal venue for this workshop and I hope this is the start of a profitable new venture for the Beekeeping Academy.
Abelo Ltd is a returning customer to the BDC. Previously, the SME asked for support to define the market to supply honeybees for use in regulatory and research-based trials. This project provided effective guidance on potential new strands for Abelo’s services and highlighted quality standards that the company must meet to supply bees for research and commercial applications.
Note to editors:
This project has received funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
Let's work together
We have worked on 1,500 bio-based projects to date
We have several ways to work with us, including business advisory programmes and self-funded commercial options. We even have the option for you to hire our state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and office space.
