PRESS: Turning passion into a business
London - Thank you Centrum Magazine for featuring The Urban Apiarist in your current issue.
Article in Full:
Social value comes in various guises, and it doesn’t have to be about big corporates shouting what they do from rooftops. Often, it’s small businesses where a proprietor is following a personal passion that allows them to fulfil their ambitions whilst making a difference to those with whom they work.
Michael Walsh started beekeeping in 2004. After a long hiatus he returned to the beekeeping world in 2015 after completing his studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. Born and raised in South East London, he has spent time living in the USA, Honduras and China. Michael advises and keeps bees for corporates and maintains his own apiary.
What do you do?
I’m a beekeeper working with companies as part of their ESG strategy. We offer environmental consultations evaluating a site’s viability as a pollinator habitat. Our report would provide recommendations as to how a company can increase biodiversity, ranging from installing honeybee colonies to creating pollinator friendly habitats.
If installing honeybee colonies is appropriate, we would then install and manage these. We also offer beekeeping and honey extraction workshops, and pollinator insight days where staff can get involved and learn more about the importance of honeybees.
How do you do it?
I enjoy being outdoors and in nature. Beekeeping helps a species in need, increases biodiversity and contributes to the environment in a positive way.
How did you get into beekeeping?
I’ve always been passionate about the outdoors and nature. I grew up spending a lot of time in the garden growing fruit and vegetables and saw first-hand the importance of pollinators. I got into beekeeping when I was ten years old at a local club. I then had a long break from it before I returned six years ago to the same club I started at all those years ago.
What are the benefits and why should people get involved?
Planting pollinator friendly plants and beekeeping helps us all. There are proven mental and physical health benefits of being in nature whether that’s through gardening or beekeeping. Constructing pollinator friendly environments or beekeeping helps increase biodiversity and encourages the next generation of plants which rely on pollinators to reproduce. As a species, we also rely heavily on pollinators, with one-third of the food we eat being dependent on it.