Keeping bees

You must not keep bees until you have been given permission in writing by the city council. Please see the Allotment Rules for the conditions on keeping livestock and bees.

You should not bring any bees on to, or purchase any equipment for your plot until you have received written permission from the council to do so.

Things to consider:

You should consider whether bee hives can be placed on your plot without causing a nuisance to others and without attracting vandalism. Hives should be as unobtrusive as possible. The area needs to be accessible enough to allow manipulations to be carried out without working in the bees' flight path.
Hives must be located near the centre of the plot and not next to a boundary, unless the boundary is next to an area in which no nuisance is likely to be caused; ie not a garden, another plot, a path, a park or a communal area. A railway line, river or natural area would be acceptable.
If your plot is next to a road, public footpath or cycleway, permission is unlikely to be granted.
If the environment is suitable and there is an adequate forage area for honey bees.
If there is access convenient for you.
You will need to have access to protective clothing and be prepared to visit the allotment regularly to check on the bees.
There is a maximum limit of three hives per acre and the council reserves the right to reduce this figure.
The number of hives permitted for an individual plot will depend upon the demand from other allotment holders on the site but will be no more than three per tenant of a full sized (250m2) plot.
A water supply must be provided on the plot close to the hives.
A 2 metre high screen or other physical barrier should enclose the hives so that the bees are encouraged to fly at that height when leaving or approaching the hive.
The council reserves the right to refuse an allotment holder the right to keep bees. For example, if it is considered that the plot or the site is in an unsuitable position.
The council reserves the right to request that beehives are removed. For example, if the presence of the bees is found to be causing a nuisance to other people.

How to apply

Any tenant given permission to keep bees must have a formal qualification in beekeeping, such as the BBA basic exam. The beekeeper must have a minimum of one year's experience of handling and keeping bees before taking the basic exam.

Both practical and theory beekeeping courses are available at Easton College.

The tenant must maintain annual insurance of £5 million cover which can be achieved through being a paid up member of the local beekeepers association or the British Beekeepers' Association.

The beekeeper must be competent to recognise signs of swarming and carry out regular inspections for these. The beekeeper must be competent to carry out effective swarm control measures and carry them out when signs of swarming occur.

If you satisfy the above requirements you should request an application form to keep bees. You will need to supply a sketch showing the proposed location of each hive and the position of the screen or barrier and the water supply.

Once an application has been received a notice will be posted on the site and/or plot for one month allowing comments to be made by other allotment holders.

If you are given permission to keep bees you must comply with the rules and conditions in the Allotment Rules together with the guidance in this supplement.

All beekeepers must register with the National Bee Unit which entitles you to a free apiary inspection visit from the local bee inspector and up to date information and web resources.

Honey bees are susceptible to a number of serious infectious diseases, some of which must be reported to DEFRA. Regional bee inspectors have the right to access hives to deal with disease and to survey the extent of the spread to or from other colonies. Standstill or destruction notices can be issued and the beekeeper must co operate as fully as possible.

Manipulations may only be carried out when there are not, or not likely to be, other people close by before the bees have settled again.

If the bees are unnecessarily aggressive they should be re-queened with a queen from a reputable supplier of docile strains. The deliberate introduction of aggressive strains of bees will constitute a breach of your tenancy agreement and could result in the termination of your tenancy or a ban on keeping livestock, including bees, on your allotment plot.