Backyard honey bee keeping

I keep British black bees, which are an endangered species. Black in colour, furry and quite tame. They are not as productive as your standard honey bee, but they are better adapted to the British weather and are more disease resistant.

Whereas other bee keepers here lose at least one hive a winter due to the new bee diseases, I have not lost any yet. For the most part bees are quite calm creatures and it takes a lot to get them to sting you. But once they do sting, they release a pheromone that makes other bees attack.

Even the African bee is not that aggressive. I have seen San Bushmen from the Kalahari go and steal bees from wild hives. They do get stung, and the bees are aggressive, but they do not die.

I used to be terrified of bees and wasps, as I fell into a wasp's nest as a child, but actually owning bees has been the best way to overcome my fear. And the honey is wonderful!