BEEKEEPERS from Australia visited Okehampton last week to learn more about the practice in Britain from town firm National Bee Supplies. Every two years, an event called Apimondial is held bringing together beekeepers from around the world. This year?s event takes place next week in Dublin, and the Australian delegation are picking up ideas ahead of hosting the event themselves in 2007. A team of 25 Australians who are promoting the event are visiting a number of notable British beekeeping sites and being given tours of their operations, as part of a round trip ahead of the gathering in the Irish capital. Bill Stevens from National Bee Supplies will be going to the Dublin event next week, and said the firm was pleased to be able to welcome the Australian visitors last Thursday (August 11). ?We welcomed them in a friendly way and they said they really enjoyed their visit,? he said. Mr Stevens said producers of bee-keeping equipment, suppliers and beekeepers from all over the world attended the Apimondial, which was a sort of trade exhibition for beekeeping. The biannual event has previously been hosted by countries including Slovenia, South Africa and Canada. Mr Stevens said there was growing interest in bee-keeping around the world, which was reflected in the continuing expansion of the Apimondial. ?Bee-keeping is popular all over the world, the desert is the only place where you can?t keep bees,? he said.
