About the PBKA
Beekeeping in Peeblesshire
The Peebles Beekeeping Association started up in , with members. Beekeeping was well-established in the area, and even recorded in literature, as Walter Scott's “Black Dwarf” –based on David Ritchie of Manor – mentions “Elshie” in his cottage garden with his beehives.
Type of beekeeping
Local beekeeping is relatively small scale, which results in a very high quality product. The majority of members maintain less than 10 colonies; a few have up to 20 hives, but there are no commercial beekeepers (ie with 100 or more hives) in the area as far as we're aware.
Migratory beekeeping is practised by only a few beekeepers – in our area it mainly consists of taking hives to the moors for the heather honey.
Forage
Most agriculture on the area is based on sheep and cattle: there are few fields of rape and no large-scale fruit-farming in the immediate area, so there is relatively little spraying of agricultural insecticides. This means that the bees will be collecting most of their nectar from wild flowers and trees, and that this area probably has very low levels of contamination by agricultural chemicals or pollution.
Historical beekeeping sites
West Linton church – bee boles
St Ronan's Wells, Innerleithen: museum display featuring Willie Smith of Innerleithen
American Beekeeping