Cornish beekeepers are buzzing after winning a £35,200 grant to support work to conserve native honey bees.

The B4 Project in partnership with The Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Plymouth University has received a National Lottery grant or its heritage project, Conserving the Native Honey Bee of The British Isles in Cornwall.  

The project aims to conserve the Cornish remnant of the Dark European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, and encourage Cornish beekeepers to develop their own local stock. 

The project will enable voluntary beekeepers to recognise these rare bees, reduce our reliance on imported bees and open reserves to protect the remaining population. 

Heligan has been supporting The B4 Project with research at the Heligan observation hives.

Beekeepers interested in taking part can get involved by contacting the project asap through [email protected]