In many respects, the concept of beekeeping as a hobby might appear to conflict with the role of a pest controller. But this is not necessarily the case. Oddly, many people involved in pest control are attracted to the idea of beekeeping. For some beekeepers, it is a gateway hobby into pest control. At Cleankill, we have encountered a number of businesses that got started because the owners were beekeepers, who were subsequently asked to assist with the control of wasps and hornets.
With the increased awareness of environmental issues and the impact human activities have on the natural world, one might think that beekeeping is a way of giving something back! This may be the case, but there is also a satisfaction and sense of achievement to be gained from acquiring the knowledge and understanding required to keep bees. We know that we hope to get something back, in terms of honey, but at the same time, we develop a ‘relationship’ with the bees and this is largely a reward in itself.
There is much that is misunderstood about honey bees, in fact all bees, and, as a career pest controller, I know there have been many occasions where bees have been controlled when, perhaps, they didn’t need to be. I hope that by becoming actively involved in beekeeping, I will develop a better understanding of the bees and their behaviour, which in turn will allow Cleankill as a company, to provide a more sympathetic and environmentally cooperative approach to dealing with bees in the future.
One of the other reasons for getting involved is too gain the knowledge needed to help inform and educate our own staff and more importantly, our customers, to try and get the message across that we all need to be more tolerant of bees and their behaviour. They are very important insects. This is a philosophy that is at the heart of the BPCA special interest group on bees. The aim is to try to make pest controllers and customers more aware of bees and their important role in nature.
Hopefully, the knowledge that can be gained from keeping bees will help Cleankill, and our customers, to a better understanding and tolerance of bees, in general.
To learn more about bees, click here.
Written by Service Director Clive Bury.