Unbeelievable! Honey is made at Ulverston sewage works
Last updated at 16:26, Wednesday, 01 August 2012
A BEEKEEPER is abuzz with a new recipe for success that is guaranteed to tickle the tastebuds at the same time as churning the stomach.
Ulverston apiarist Mike Luke has set up four hives housing some 175,000 bees on land at the town’s wastewater treatment works in Sandside Road.
The 46-year-old United Utilities worker saw the potential for delicious honey to be made from the nectar of luscious wild flowers growing at the site.
“I suppose being on a sewage works is good for the flowers, which is why it’s good for the bees,” he said.
“South-west Cumbria isn’t an easy place for bees because it’s mainly arable land and there aren’t many flowering crops.
“But many of our sewage works are perfect as they are havens for wild flowers and have areas not used by the public that are left as mini nature reserves.”
Mr Luke said he had always been fascinated by the complex workings of honey bee colonies, but only began beekeeping after meeting an apiarist at a pub about eight years ago.
He is now the chairman of the Furness Beekeepers Association and said he is excited about the prospect of harvesting his first crop from the new hives next month.
“In a good year you can get 50 to 60 jars per hive, but a lot depends on the weather,” he said.
“I haven’t thought what I might call it yet. Maybe something with ‘united’ in the name.”
First published at 16:16, Wednesday, 01 August 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Have your say
Well done Mike. Best wishes to you and for that matter all people who show a bit of initiative in following their own interests and see the potential for doing something creative.
Posted by Geoff Dellow on 5 August 2012 at 06:46