LIFE for honeybees in the Tamar Valley should hopefully improve in future, with the formation of a new group of bee keepers which has been set up in East Cornwall.

The Kit Hill Group is one of the seven groups in Cornwall affiliated to the Cornwall Bee Keepers' Association (CBKA), which is a regional branch of the British Bee Keepers' Association.

Geoff Roberts of Kit Hill Beekeepers said: 'Our aims are to support one another, ensure the health and welfare of the honey bee population in the Tamar Valley, raise the awareness of the craft, and to educate both the wider community and ourselves.'

Kit Hill Group is currently planning apiary visits for the summer season but until the warmer weather a number of talks have been organised.

On January 19 regional bee inspector Adam Vevers will talk about Swarm Control, on February 16 Claire Densely, head of bees at Buckfast Abbey, will be giving a talk on bee keeping at the abbey and on March 15, Jo Widdicombe, seasonal bee inspector, will talk to the group about bee breeding.

Each of these talks will start at 7.30pm, and will be held at the Tamar Valley Centre, Drakewalls, Gunnislake.

Visitors and new members are always welcome.

For more information about the new Kit Hill Group or the talks, call Geoff Roberts on 01579 350570 or email [email protected]">[email protected]