Vandals Hit Walpole Apiary For Second Time

Bees now have to be taken away from the site to avoid any more damage

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Walpole Park's community apiary has been broken into and the hives damaged for a second time.

apiary damage

It happened two days running Thursday (15th September) and Friday (16th) and follows another incident which happened at the end of August.

broken lock at apiary

Vivienne Cane-Honeysett who is Chair of Friends of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery and Walpole Park, says problems started on the Thursday when the apiary was broken into and the beehives tipped over. However, because straps were left on, the boxes stayed together and the volunteers were able to right them relatively easily.

However, on the following Friday night she says 'the vandals really went for it.'

She says: ''They cut the straps, split apart the hive boxes and pushed them over, exposing the bees to the cold night temperatures and the rain. The boxes are distorted and so they obviously gave them quite a bashing.

''When John and I got there this morning, after receiving a call from one of the park workers, the bees were furious and really went for us in their anger.  We had our suits on of course but we really can't have furious bees in a public park and so we are going to have to take them away until we have resolved the problem of vandalism.  We have done all we can so we now need to think again about the whole thing. We will let the bees calm down and take them away today.

''It's a real shame as, although it's hard work, we have enjoyed doing the community beekeeping in the park apiary and I know that most members of the public love the bees.  We will keep the observation hive in place during the season, but we will need to empty that for the winter shortly. Those bees go into a normal hive for the winter but we won't keep that in the apiary either.

''I can't decide if this is this a sad reflection of today's society or whether some elements of society have always found excitement in attacking beehives.

''Despite all the publicity and education about how bees are important to our very well-being, the message is obviously not getting through to everyone.''

  

apiary damage

20 September 2016

 

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