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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
Sophie McLaughlin

Chronicles of Belfast: Meet the beekeeper helping Belfast buzz on new TV series

Victoria Square is known for its iconic dome in the heart of the city centre, but did you know that hidden at the top of the popular shopping centre are three thriving bee hives?

David Morgan is part of the Belfast & District Beekeepers Association and looks after the creatures buzzing at the top of Victoria Square as shoppers buzz about below.

This unique hive features in the third instalment of BBC show The Chronicles of Belfast, airing on Monday, which looks at Autumn in the city.

Read more: BBC NI series 'The Chronicles of Belfast' to explore the landscape of the city

The Chronicles of Belfast explores the wilder side of life in Belfast and celebrates the spots that form the ‘lungs of this busy city’ where people and wildlife can breathe and thrive.

Narrated by acclaimed Northern Irish actor Colin Morgan, the four-part series looks at the people who work all year round with nature, protecting and monitoring the wildlife that share their city.

David and the other Belfast Beekeepers meet every week, working to protect the future of the Belfast Bee which often requires the transfer of queen bee eggs into cups that are inserted into other hives around the city.

Speaking to Belfast Live, David shared how he found a passion for beekeeping over eight years ago and hasn't looked back since.

He said: "I have always had an interest in nature, growing vegetables and the 'good life' sort of thing.

"I grew up in an area where there was an old boy up the road who kept bees and it was always something in the back of my head that I had an interest in.

"I ended up going along to the Belfast & District Beekeeping Association one day and signed up to do the course and it has all gone from there."

The Belfast and District Beekeepers Association aims to promote good beekeeping practices among its members and provide a forum for beekeepers to meet and exchange information.

"People kind of know there are bees at Victoria Square roof and have probably seen them from the dome but nobody really knew who was keeping them up there," David added.

"The show wanted to have a look up at the hives and found out it was me who looks after them so that is kind of where that came from.

"There is a huge interest in beekeeping in Belfast every year and we would typically have between 50 to 60 new beekeepers doing our 'Introduction to Beekeeping' course every year - its a wide range of students getting involved."

He continued: "I think it is essential that we have programmes like this to highlight the various different things that go on in the city that people know nothing about.

"From a beekeeping perspective, it is essential to highlight pollinators and the importance of pollinators to us as humans - we need to be doing more to look after them and protect the habitat which is increasingly under threat from modern agriculture."

To find out more about beekeeping, see here.

The Chronicles of Belfast airs on Monday, February 13 at 8pm on BBC One NI and all four episodes are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

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