There was a real buzz at Haslemere Morning WI’s June meeting thanks to two speakers from the Guildford Beekeepers Association.

Pauline Lane opened the talk with a history of beekeeping, noting that bees have appeared in human culture for more than 8,000 years. She explained the difference between the UK’s 250 species of wild bees and the honey bee, which survives the winter in large social clusters and produces surplus honey for collection. A scale model of a hive was passed around, along with wax frames and a traditional skep used to retrieve swarms.

Peter Jones followed with a talk on honey’s medicinal uses and the threats bees face today. He highlighted the devastating impact of the varroa mite and the growing concern over the invasive Asian hornet, calling on the public to “See it, Snap it, App it” to help track sightings.

The afternoon ended with a stark reminder of bees’ importance: “If the bee disappeared from the world,” he quoted Einstein, “man would have four years of life left.”