The Welton News and Views back catalogue contains a fascinating collection of ‘spotlight’ articles of members of the community, one of whom was Fred Day – aka The Bee-Man of Welton.
In 1986 Welton News and Views ran a feature on Fred Day – otherwise known as Fred: the Bee- Man of Welton.
A resident of The Paddock, Fred developed a fascination with bees almost by accident in 1942 when, as a caretaker for a college of Further Education, a Science teacher introduced him to his bees, asking Fred to help him collect a swarm which had settled behind the college.
This was the first time Fred had even seen a swarm, never mind collected one!
It was established (though at the time of writing, it is not clear how that was done) that the swarm did not belong to the college, so Fred was ‘persuaded’ to purchase a second-hand hive and, with the help of the teacher, ‘hived’ the swarm, which now seemed to be his – as far as a swarm of bees can be! The story continued that, during the following summer the science teacher went on holiday, took up another post and never returned. His bees were neglected and died
This is particularly shocking to a 21st century reader, knowing the ongoing concern about the dwindling bee population and the effect that has on the fertilisation of plants and crops.
Fred’s swarm however survived, and so, drawing on the support of a friend who also kept bees, a self-help book “Beekeeping for Beginners’ and joining the Rugby Bee Keepers Association, Fred got stuck in (metaphorically, of course!).
Fred took both the theory (winter) course – when bees are inactive, and the active course (summer) when the bees were buzzing! He took examinations in both and passed at the end of that year – though it was not a painless process. As Fred put it, he ‘got well and truly stung’ despite wearing the full beekeeper suit and hood! However, over time he gradually built up an immunity to the stings so that he hardly had any swelling at all after being ‘got’… fortunately for him!
Bee keeping in the 1950s. Not Fred. At least we don’t think so, hard to say
The passing of the first set of exams was only the beginning. By 1945 Fred had 4 hives and provided guidance and support to other bee-keepers. He later acquired 3 further hives. He also kept one ‘spare’ hive in case of a swarm and in this way was highly successful – never having to buy a bee! (Q: How do you buy a bee? A: Carefully!)
The amount of honey from a hive varies according to the conditions of the season: in 1984 Fred produced over 400lbs of honey from hawthorn, lime and rapeseed; whereas in 1985 the harvest was down to 22lbs.
Fred became a member of the Warwickshire Bee-Keepers Association, which gave him life membership after almost 50 years of his involvement with the group.
Some Welton residents continue in 2026 to manage beehives in their garden. Given the ongoing national concern regarding bee populations, it is worth saying a big thank you to those members of our community… and for the rest of us, a reminder to plant wherever possible plants in your gardens that are bee / insect friendly, maintaining ponds and creating bee friendly shelters. For more information see the Friends of the Earth who have a guide for bee-friendly gardening: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/gardening-bees .
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