Toolkit-Potential beekeepers and the public

Possibly fuelled by media activity, there has been great interest in bees and beekeeping in the 21^st century, although in some respects it may not be in the best interests of the craft, but perhaps unwise to ignore it without response. Some of the publicity suggests that bees are in trouble and all you have to do is plant a few flowers and/or buy a hive and you will be “saving the bees”. There are companies who are trying to improve their “green credentials” by having bees on their property. As a long-time beekeeper, I find this an objectionable way of using bees for their own purposes, but of course, little or none of this comes from beekeepers, but people who have different motives, often with little or no knowledge. The craft of beekeeping isn’t helped by those, not always beekeepers, who peddle erroneous misinformation about how conventional beekeepers keep their bees. Persuasive websites implying that honey comes from a tap in a box with little or no work attached to it doesn’t help either. Although all of these can be annoying and probably easy to criticise and dismiss, I don’t think they will disappear, more likely grow. If organised beekeeping doesn’t respond, then someone, somewhere will and that may be worse. There is little point in beekeepers complaining about something they haven’t responded to. Perhaps the beekeeping community should look at these situations as opportunities and provide answers in an authoritative and persuasive, rather than aggressive or dismissive manner. Treating those you disagree with as idiots is only likely to gain them sympathy.

It is important that BKAs engage with the public, as it’s them who buy hive products, provide space for out-apiaries and plants for bees to collect nectar and pollen from, have uninvited swarms land on their property, perhaps have them take up residence in their buildings and of course occasionally investigate becoming beekeepers. The more they know, the more they can understand the craft, so help when needed. There are some who will get agitated when they see an insect and can be unpleasant when a swarm lands on their property, but in general, most are very supportive.

A planned approach, perhaps by drip-feed may bring a steady flow of interest. Much better than a one-off blast every other year when something happens, such as hive theft, or when there is an event. There is always something to write a snippet about beekeeping that will create a little interest.

Overall, beekeeping probably doesn’t use all the publicity opportunities that are available to good advantage. Local publications, especially the free ones that come through the door are often looking for copy, so why not use them? Many recipients probably don’t read them, but some will. Social media can be useful, but it probably needs to be beekeeper driven, rather than by “sympathisers” who think bees are fluffy pets.

Perhaps BKAs should look at appointing a publicity officer. One word of warning though, either write copy yourself or make sure that if you supply material that you check it. I find these publications often seek “information” online that may be inaccurate or inappropriate, but added to spice the story up a bit. I am often asked to supply information or give interviews and I have learnt to be careful what I say. A 15-20 minute interview may be cut to a couple of minutes and if edited poorly could give a different message than what was intended. On one occasion, I was invited to speak at a BKA outdoor event, to which they invited a reporter. I was asked a question about the decline of bees by the reporter who had obviously done some reading. I said there was a lot of erroneous “information” and the decline of bees probably had more relevance to solitary bees than honey bees. They clearly weren’t satisfied, so asked the husband of a beekeeper. He agreed that bees are in decline, so that got reported and attributed to me! Once something is in print, there is nothing you can do, as an apology in the next issue isn’t seen.

A presence at local shows is always worthwhile, but think carefully about what you display. In general, most people will see what is at eye level, so put the important things there. It might be obvious to some to put the usual “bee facts”, but they are unlikely to teach much and are generally unreliable anyway. Who is really interested in, or will remember, how many times a bee has to fly round a cricket pitch to collect a spoonful of honey? I think it’s a mistake to clutter the stand or table with things that will divert attention from what your message should be. Observation hives are always good discussion points. People always want to see the queen, so mark her and several drones a different colour to show the difference. A virtual hive is good too. Make sure those on the stand are reasonably knowledgeable and can talk to people, giving the impression they are enjoying it. Remember, you are there for three main reasons, to inform the public, help those who may be thinking of starting beekeeping and selling hive products, so you may need different approaches.

BKAs can put information for non-beekeepers on their websites or perhaps a brief note, with a link to a reputable resource. Stock images of bumblebees or solitary bees are often used by the media, so perhaps a gallery of good images from your members can be assembled.

One thing is certain and that is there is a lot of twaddle in the public domain, but let’s not complain, just make sure there is some reliable information and direct them to it.

Roger Patterson.