CALLINGTON was a hive of activity recently, when men in beekeepers’ suits went into the local Tesco and got away with two large tubs of white sugar without having paid for them — while the store manager watched, smiling.

The beekeepers, members of the Cornish bee preservation group BIPCo, were part of a pilot project to collect leftover white sugar donated by the supermarket to help feed rare, native bees.

BIPCo (The Bee Improvement Programme for Cornwall) was founded to conserve and protect the endangered British bee population, which has declined by a third since 2007, specifically the native Cornish black bees, which have a natural resistance to mites and diseases. The beekeepers turn the sugar into syrup and fondant for the bees as an artificial replacement for honey or nectar.

Lucy Hughes, the Tesco manager who came up with the idea of giving spoiled and spilled sugar to the beekeepers, said: ‘It seemed such a waste to throw away sugar which, although no longer fit for human consumption, is perfectly good for the bees. I asked local beekeepers David and Tracy Ledger if they might have a use for it and they were very keen on the idea. It grew from that, and I couldn’t be more pleased.’

The project has been trialled in Callington, before being rolled out across selected Tesco stores in Devon and Cornwall.

Chairman of BIPCo Nick Bentham-Green said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that Tesco stores, both here at Callington and throughout Cornwall and Devon, are helping both BIPCo and B4 (Bring Back Black Bees) with the conservation of the native British honey bee, by saving waste sugar for our project beekeepers, which is used to feed our bees for the winter.’

Callington store manager Martin Hawkins said: ‘We are delighted to be able to support the Cornish beekeepers in their vital conservation efforts. It is a very simple idea but one which, if it works, could be adopted further afield.’

Pictured left to right are: Dave Ledger, Callington Tesco store manager Martin Hawkins, Nick Bentham-Green from BIPCo and Lucy Hughes.

Picture by James Bird