OUR BEES
In July 2023 we installed two beehives on our premises in Sheffield as part of our environmental commitments to support declining honey bee populations.
We work with Peter O’Callaghan at The Honey Shed in Walkley - an organisation that looks after around 50 hives in Sheffield and the Peak District.
The Honey Shed installed and look after our hives on site. As bees like to fly in straight lines, and we’re located next to the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, it has made an ideal home for them with plenty of wild flowers for them to pollinate and enjoy.
We also have our own planters next to the hives, which we’ve filled with bee-friendly flowers that grow in compost made on-site using our coffee chaff and food waste.
Peter's former business partner and master beekeeper, Phil Khorassandjian, who co-founded The Honey Shed, says: “In the more than 20 years I've been involved in keeping bees and studying to be a master beekeeper, the thing that's hit home to me is that the decline in insect pollinators is to do with the encroachments of development on the environment and subsequent lack of forage.
“We should be trying to protect the natural environment around us, to not use pesticides in gardens if we can and to be responsible towards nature.”
Peter monitors our hives remotely via an app, which we also have access to. The app reads information, such as temperature and weight, from a monitor inside each hive.
He explains: “We physically monitor the hives regularly in order to look after the health of bees and to try to control their swarming instinct, but the app can be useful to alert us to other potential problems, such as a drop in temperature inside the hive which may indicate brood issues.”
The Honey Shed also offers our team fantastic hands-on experiences, always arriving equipped with beekeeping suits. This has enabled Teamology to learn about bees, working with nature to help protect the environment and the importance of insect pollinators.
The honey that is harvested from our hives is either sold by The Honey Shed or used for our own projects.
THE HONEY SHED
To find out more about The Honey Shed and the work they do, contact Peter on: honey@thehoneyshed.co.uk