Gloucestershire Beekeepers' Association

Becoming a Beekeeper and The Beekeepers Year
If you have always wanted to have a go at beekeeping and don't know what to do, this will outline the things you need and what you have to do to become a beekeeper.

The Life of Bumblebees
Bumblebees are social insects that are characterized by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. However, some species have orange or red on their bodies, or may be entirely black. Their legs are also black. Another obvious characteristic is the soft nature of the hair, called pile that covers their entire body, making them appear and feel fuzzy.
There are many different kinds of bumblebees that you will see buzzing around gardens, fields and woods in search of nectar from flowering plants. They live in families called colonies. The queens survive a year and then die but the workers have a shorter and much busier life.

Helping Your Neighbour
This is a useful little document that beekeepers can pass on to their neighbour to put them at ease when they are going to open up their hives.