NATURAL BEEKEEPING TRUST
The Natural Beekeeping Trust aims to promote ways of beekeeping which start from an understanding of the nature and the needs of the bees. The Trust encourages working with bees so as to allow them to express their instincts fully, through building their own comb, swarming, over wintering on their honey and maintaining their brood nests without undue interference. We are certain that this is the best way forward to ensure the health of bees in the long term.
In the last hundred years the wellbeing of the honeybee has suffered a drastic decline and it appears likely that conventional beekeeping practices aimed at maximising honey yields and inducing colonies to perform to human designs, notably the artificial breeding and international trading of queen bees, have played a major part in undermining and thwarting bees’ natural instincts and thus the health of the entire species.
We are fortunate in that Plaw Hatch Farm, a biodynamic farm in West Sussex has provided us with a space to create a bee sanctuary. Our current major project is the development of this semi-woodland where we plan to demonstrate and encourage high standards of natural beekeeping in a beautiful setting.
The Trust is indebted to Dr. Rudolf Steiner for his unique insights into the nature of the honeybee (given in his lectures of 1923); his work provides a unique source of inspiration in our search for the right way to relate to the honeybee and its requirements.
If you are concerned about the future of the honeybee, and whether or not you are a beekeeper yourself, your help would be much appreciated. Please consider supporting our endeavours by becoming a Friend of the Natural Beekeeping Trust. We will keep you informed of our activities through our website as well as a regular newsletter and also look forward to meeting you at future events.
Friends of the Trust will be offered discounted entry to courses organised by us. A solid base of Friends will enable us to grow into a strong organisation, well placed to represent the interests of honeybees and campaign for better ways of caring for them.
If you decide to become a Friend please also indicate whether we may call upon your practical help in relation to specific projects from time to time.
Thank you.
www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org
PLEASE NOTE that Friends of the Natural Beekeeping Trust are not connected to, or part of any beekeeping organisation bearing the name ‘Friends of ………’. We bring this to your attention merely to avoid any confusion.