King's Lynn and West Norfolk Beekeepers show at Hunstanton

Members of the 300-strong West Norfolk and King's Lynn Beekeepers' Association swarmed to Hunstanton over the weekend.

Jill Tinsley points out the queen bee in one of the displays at Hunstanton Town Hall (Image: Chris Bishop)

They brought bees and interactive displays - along with plenty of honey.

Keepers - aka apiarists - told of their fascination for the insects, which people have kept since ancient times.

A display of live bees at Hunstanton Town Hall (Image: Chris Bishop)

Retired engineer Stuart Grant, 80, from Heacham, began beekeeping 18 years ago.
"When I started we had 80 members," he said. "Now we've got over 300. People have realised it's a very interesting education.

"And the selling of the honey is the least-interesting part. All the activity of the bees, knowing what's going on in the hive, it's just transformed me."

Bees all have a different job around the hive (Image: Chris Bishop)

Jill Tinsley, the group's education lead, said every bee had a different job.

"From the moment they're born, they'll have a role," she added. "There are nurse bees, there are fanning bees which control the temperature of the hive."

A display warning of the invasive Asian hornet - which has yet to show its face in Norfolk (Image: Chris Bishop)

From humble cleaners, bees move through different tasks before eventually standing guard to protect the hive from intruders including thieving wasps.

Retired auditor Grenville Harding, 65, has published Bumbling - a book of some of the 22,000 photographs he has taken of bees since moving to Watlington, near King's Lynn, seven years ago.

Grenville Harding with his book of bee photographs (Image: Chris Bishop)

"I moved to Norfolk and I just became obsessed with bumblebees," he said.

He added riverbanks near his home buzzed with rare species, including the scarce ruderal.

Hunstanton mayor Mike Ruston rolls a beeswax candle under the watchful eye of Rosemary Cane from the King's Lynn and West Norfolk Beekeepers' Association (Image: Chris Bishop)

While some visitors - including Hunstanton's mayor, Mike Ruston - made a beeswax candle, others made a beeline for the honey.

Suse Crook, who had seven different varieties on offer, said borage was her top seller.
"Borage is a light honey," she said. "You can do anything with borage honey."

Suse Crook on the honey stall, where borage honey was the top seller (Image: Chris Bishop)