A unique Luss-based organisation is hoping to get more young people involved in beekeeping and protecting wild pollinators.
The Bee School was founded by experienced beekeeper Heather and offers weekend beekeeping courses as well as day long bee safaris for all ages – with the school’s youngest pupil aged six years old while the eldest was 92.
The Bee School also hosts a summer school course for children aged six to 11 which takes place over four days and runs a 12 week junior beekeeper course which gives participants a formal qualification.
Heather was inspired to start the school after working with a young beekeeper called Harry in 2021 when he was just 14.
She said: “Young people being so hands on and teaching I think is really powerful.
“Working with Harry and realising there wasn’t the facilities for children was really the catalyst for the school.”
Harry – now aged 16 - works with the school and helps teach others all about bees and beekeeping.
During the summer of 2023, Harry attended the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers in Slovenia and is eager to continue his career.
Heather hopes that by encouraging more young people to get into beekeeping the world’s pollinators – and the Earth itself – will continue to thrive.
She said: “It’s not just about the bees – our environment is in a bad way, and we need pollinators.
“There’s a lot of fear around bees but we show people they don’t have to be scared.
“Honeybees contribute to 10 per cent of pollinated crops – the rest is pollinated by wild bees and other bugs.
“We focus on the honeybees, but the picture is much bigger. We’re not protecting the environment enough to protect the wild pollinators.
"We use pesticides and herbicides, and all this stuff kills them.”
Heather is originally from Wales and grew up in an agricultural community, which is what started her interest in the environment – and her love of honey.
She continued: “I grew up in Anglesey and that is very much an agricultural island.
“I always had an interest in the environment, and I also really liked honey, but I was unsure of the honey in shops so thought I’d make my own.
“I was petrified of wasps, so I went on a beekeeping course and never looked back. That was eight years ago.”
As a not-for-profit organisation, the Bee School relies on the public to help keep them going and have launched their Adopt a Bee initiative.
Money from the service will keep the school running over the winter, support them in delivering their programmes, and allow them to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators.
With the new season starting on Friday, April 5, Heather is keen to welcome anyone interested on one of the Bee School's courses.
To find out more about the Bee School, book a trip, or Adopt a Bee, visit their website: www.thebeeschool.co.uk.
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