Johnsons staff tuck into honey from their onsite apiary

Staff at horticultural nursery and BALI Registered Affiliate member Johnsons of Whixley are tucking into some delicious honey treats this week – produced by thousands of their co-workers!

The number of bees at the nursery’s on-site apiary has increased to 800,000 this summer, with the creatures helping to pollinate flowering plants at their main 50-acre site, that produces more than a million plants every year.

The bees are managed by Keith Simmonds, Vice President of Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers, who said that the bees, Johnsons and most importantly the environment all benefited from their presence in equal measure.

He said honeybees contributed significantly to our economy, helping plants to grow and produce food by transferring pollen between flowering plants. The majority of plants we need for food rely on pollination, particularly by bees.

It is estimated that bees will fly 55,000 miles to make a single pound of honey – the equivalent of going around the world more than twice.

Staff at the nursery will be tucking into honey on toast to celebrate National Honey Month this September.

Graham Richardson, Group Managing Director at Johnsons of Whixley, said:

“ What could be better than fortifying our staff with honey harvested via our own bees, pollen and ultimately the plants that they have so carefully tended in recent month – a truly efficient food cycle!”