Sheherezade Goldsmith

Sheherazade Goldsmith, wife of eco-campaigner Zac Goldsmith, has written a new book about living organically. It includes a section on keeping bees, which makes it likely that the streets of Chelsea in west London will soon be buzzing with the little critters. You can buy the book here. Zac and Sheherazade keep bees on their organic farm in Devon but any flat city roof will do just fine. Check out a short extract from the book:

Bees are an important part of an organic eco-system, but you don�t need to own a rural retreat in order to keep bees and harvest their honey: a small garden, or even a rooftop terrace, is a perfect place for a beehive. All you need is a flat outdoor space.

Urban beekeepers have the advantage that cities tend to be warmer than rural areas, so the bees are more active and their season for foraging for nectar is longer. And with a far greater selection of plants on display in highly planted parks, gardens and windowboxes there�s usually something in flower all year round. This means that urban bees have the potential to produce a richer variety of honey and higher yields.

Bees prefer to have a clear flight path upwards out of the hive, which should face south if possible. From an urban beekeeper�s point of view, it�s also worth keeping the hive in a secluded place to avoid people being stung. If you have a garden without a high wall, plant tall shrubs or hedges or erect a fence to encourage the bees� flight path up and over peoples� heads. Once they are up in the air, the bees go in various directions to forage.

Getting started
There are many local beekeeping societies and groups who will be happy to help in providing advice, equipment, and the bees to get you started.

Beneficial properties of honey

Honey contains vitamins and antioxidants, and enzymes that help in its digestion.
It�s an excellent natural preservative.
Honey has been used in healing remedies for at least 4,000 years. It is now known to
act as an antiseptic/antibacterial agent, and is most commonly used as an anti-microbial
agent used for dressing wounds, burns and skin ulcers.
This is an excerpt from Sheherazade Goldsmith’s new book A Slice of Organic Life: Get Closer to the Soil Without Going the Whole Hog. It’s out now for �16.99, published by Dorling Kindersley.

Tags: off-the-grid