a bit about PH, (for those who don't know )
My name is Pete Watt and I began beekeeping in 1986 stimulated by a conversation with my then wife who told me a family story regarding honey that her mother was involved with. I was struck by the tale and began to read bee books and rapidly exhibited one of the worst cases of bee fever it is possible to have.
Three years later the retiring Bee Advisor of the North of Scotland College of Agriculture B. Mobus invited me to take over the Craibstone Beekeeping Unit on a commercial basis to try and keep the infrastructure intact in case the college had a change of heart.
I went from wintering some 8 hives to running full bore a mere 50. Oh and there were not enough supers… That operation grew to at times some 80 odd colonies and a membership of the Beefarmers Association
From there I went on with Moira my then wife to running evening classes for Grampian Region, and to writing for the Scottish Beekeeper, and the odd lecture.
After five years of insanity reality dawned and I built a honey house on my own property and we gave Craibstone back to the College and with no regrets gave up on 40 mile round trips, at times just to switch on the honey warmer.
I obtained the Scottish Beekeepers Association Expert certificate in 1995 something I am rather proud of. I was very lucky to be taken under the wing of Hamish Robertson of Struan Apiaries who was unstinting in his time and advice and of course his beloved wife Joan who was so very kind and helpful.Murray McGregor of Denrosa Apiaries also deserves a mention by way of thanks for a great deal of equally excellent advice.
While working offshore for a living I was able to spend some time studying, and I discovered in the loft at Craibstone a large supply of American bee journals. I read my way through some 30 years worth of the American Bee Journal and Gleanings in Bee Culture. From that reading it rapidly became clear that beekeeping in the UK is more than a little different to the North Americas, not to mention the rest of the world.
Beekeeping means many things to the various participants, and I again make no apology for concentrating on producing honey as in my view it is the primary reward of the craft. Followed closely by Queen Rearing.
hope this helps those who regularly 'snipe' at PH to understand his perspective on British BeeKeeping.
regards, Tony
(in my 5th yr of keeping bees, and not an 'expert' on beekeeping)
